YuGiOh!: God of Shadows
by Kaiba's Child
Summary: Twenty years after they said goodbye to the pharaoh, Yugi and his friends face the Egyptian Gods, the return of the Shadow Games, and a whole new twist on the tombkeepers' legacy. Based on the anime. Please read and review.
1. Return of the Shadows

**Yu-Gi-Oh!**

**God of Shadows**

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-gi-oh! I own this story, Amara Kaiba, Darius Phoenix, the 20 card set used by Osiris, and several other cards that appear throughout this story.

**Chapter 1**

It has been 20 years since the shadows were sealed away and the pharaoh's spirit laid to rest. Ever since then, Yugi Motou, declared King of Games after the Duelist Kingdom Tournament, has achieved numerous victories in Duel Monsters tournaments around the world, and has also become an instructor at one of the most prestigious Duel Monsters universities in Japan. However, it is at the height of his dueling career that Yugi is about to face his greatest challenge yet.

Late one spring afternoon, Yugi's friends Joey, Tea, Bakura, and Tristan were walking to the university where Yugi teaches advanced dueling classes. They knew his last class for the day would be letting out soon, so they had decided to stop by to see him. As they approached the building, they noticed a crowd rushing inside.

"What do you think this is all about?" asked Tea.

"I dunno, but I'm gonna find out," answered Joey before running up towards the crowd. He managed to catch up to one of the last few people entering the building.

"Hey, what's goin' on here?" Joey asked the student.

"Some kid just challenged Professor Motou for his title as King of Games," said the student as he ran inside. Hearing this, Joey ran back to the gang and told them what was happening.

"Well if Yugi's duelin' then we should get in there," commented Tristan. As the group went towards the entrance, a familiar voice stopped them in their tracks.

"What are you geeks up to?"

They turned to see Seto Kaiba standing before them. The president of Kaiba Corporation had on the white duster that he wore during the Battle City Tournament, with his black Kaiba Corp uniform underneath. The duel disk on his arm made him all the more intimidating.

"Hey, Kaiba," said Tea in a cheerful voice, "How've you been?"

"Still makin' money, rich boy?" remarked Joey.

"I see some of you still haven't moved past old grudges," said Kaiba, looking towards Joey. Looking back towards Tea, he said "I've been good. So what's goin' on?"

"Yugi's dueling someone for the King of Games title," explained Tea.

"Friends or not, I'm the only one who's going to claim that title. If some nobody duelist is going to attempt to steal that title from Yugi, I want to see this amateur get crushed. Let's get in there," said Kaiba. With that, the group headed inside.

As they entered Yugi's classroom, they were forced to stop. Despite the size of Yugi's classroom, the students were packed against the walls. The cause of the cluster was the giant black cloud in the center of the room. Among the rest of the group, Kaiba seemed especially dumbfounded.

"Someone want to explain this to me?" said Kaiba. "I thought all of this Shadow Games nonsense stopped when the pharaoh's spirit was sealed."

"That's what we thought as well," said Tristan.

"Hey you, what's with that cloud?" Joey asked a student near him.

"I don't know," responded the student. "They activated their duel disks, then Professor Motou's opponent raised some sort of dagger above his head, and this cloud just appeared. No one can get through it."

"Did anything about this dagger stand out?" continued Joey.

"There was some kind of symbol on the dagger. A golden eye."

"So it is a Shadow Game," commented Bakura.

"And it gets worse," said Tea. "Without the pharaoh's spirit, Yugi may be facing his most dangerous challenge yet."

----

Inside the cloud, the two duelists stood opposite each other, their duel disks raised for the duel to begin. Yugi was wearing his Battle City uniform, minus the Millennium Puzzle he had worn around his neck. His opening hand was already drawn. His opponent stood drawing his hand, wearing a red blazer and sporting a duel disk that suggested he once attended Seto Kaiba's Duel Academy. He had brown hair and a look of determination in his eyes. The life-point meter flashed 4000 for both of them.

"I don't know how you managed to cause a Shadow Game, Jarona, but I will make sure you never do again," said Yugi as he drew his first card. He held his hand up, contemplating his first move. "I summon Big Shield Guardna in defense mode." As Yugi said this, the duel disk projector created the hologram of one of Yugi's most faithful monsters, its golden shield concealing most of its body. "Then I place one card face-down, and end my turn." Once the hologram produced a face-down card, the turn went to his opponent.

"I will defeat you," said Jarona confidently as he drew his card, "and resurrect my master from the shadows."

"What do you mean? I thought you were after my title."

"I had to say that so you would agree to duel me. I knew you couldn't back down from someone challenging you as King of Games. Truth is, I don't care about your title one way or another. I duel only to resurrect the great Osiris."

"Osiris? You mean the Egyptian God?"

"Not exactly. I refer to the reincarnation of the God, like the one you fought after Battle City."

"The one I…Anubis."

"Exactly. And with the Dagger of Fate, all I need is to win this duel, and your soul will make a perfect sacrifice. Now, I place two cards face-down, and summon Elemental Hero Bubbleman in attack mode." His monster summoned, Jarona ended his turn.

As he drew, Yugi thought about what Jarona had said. "Did you say the Dagger of Fate? I thought only the Millennium Items could generate a Shadow Game."

"You thought wrong, Yugi. You see, the Millennium Items were not the only mystical artifacts created in the time of the shadows. There were also seven items created to rival the Millennium Items. These were known as the seven Shadow Items. A major difference between the items is the red sphere at the center of the eye on the Shadow Items." Jarona held up the Dagger of Fate to show Yugi the red sphere where the golden circle should be. "And each of the Shadow Items was entrusted to one of the seven dark reincarnations of the Egyptian Gods. I believe you are familiar with the Pyramid of Light that was entrusted to Anubis. That Shadow Item had the power to make the monsters real. The ability of the Dagger of Fate is much more impressive. By sacrificing one soul, it can restore another."

"Then I can't let you win this duel. Now, I sacrifice my Big Shield Guardna to summon my Dark Magician Girl." Yugi's monster was enveloped in a swirling wind, and when it cleared the Dark Magician Girl was standing there. "Now go. Destroy his Bubbleman with Murky Burning."

"Not so fast, Yugi," said Jarona. "Reveal face-down card. Bubble Shuffle." Both Yugi's Dark Magician Girl and Jarona's Bubbleman were shifted to defense mode.

"What happened?" asked Yugi.

"I thought you were the King of Games," mocked Jarona. "Now listen up. By activated Bubble Shuffle while I have Bubbleman in attack mode, I shift both Bubbleman and your monster to defense mode. Then, I am allowed to sacrifice Bubbleman for another elemental hero. So I will." With that, Bubbleman was enveloped in the same swirling wind. When it cleared, an entirely different monster was standing in its place. This monster was covered in gold armor and had two horns and a menacingly sharp blade on each arm. The focal point of its armor seemed to be the green jewel in the center of its chest. "Say hello to Elemental Hero Bladedge."

"Impressive," said Yugi. "I've only seen one other duelist with this strategy."

"You've seen less than you think, Yugi," said Jarona, beginning his turn. "Now, Bladedge, attack his Dark Magician Girl." With that, Bladedge swung its arm down on the Dark Magician Girl, destroying it. "And because of Bladedge's special ability, you take damage equal to the difference between my monster's attack and your monster's defense." Yugi groaned as the shockwaves blew past him, and his life-point meter reduced itself from 4000 to 3100.

"Impressive, but not quite good enough," said Yugi after he'd drawn his card. "Now I send Alpha, Beta, and Gamma the Magnet Warriors from my hand to the grave in order to combine them, and summon Valkyrion the Magna Warrior." As Yugi sent them to the grave, the three monsters appeared on the field, disassembled, and combined into one monster with a huge sword. The attack-point meter flashed 3500. "Now, Valkyrion, attack." The Magna Warrior began its advance, raising its sword as it approached Bladedge. As it approached, however, the sword came down on a flashing blue barrier. "What happened?" asked Yugi.

"I activated my face-down card, Hero Barrier. As long as I have an elemental hero in play, I can stop one of your attacks." Valkyrion disconnected from the barrier and jumped back to its place before Yugi.

"Very well. I place my last card face-down, and end my turn."

"My turn then," said Jarona as he drew his card. "Now say goodbye to your monster. I set one card face-down, then I activate Skyscraper." As he played the card, a giant city like environment rose up around them, with Bladedge standing at the top of the tallest building. "As long as Skyscraper is on the field, my heroes gain 1000 attack points when attacking stronger monsters." He raised his head. "Bladedge, attack his monster." As it attacked, the attack-point meter showed Bladedge's attack power rising from 2600 to 3600. However, Yugi was prepared for this.

"Reveal face-down card," Yugi said, raising his card, "Magical Hats." With the card revealed, Valkyrion was covered by a black top hat, which then separated into four hats. However, Valkyrion wasn't the only thing concealed by the hats. Yugi's face-down card was hidden as well.

"Bladedge," called out Jarona, "destroy the third hat." Bladedge's attack destroyed the hat, causing an explosion of smoke. Before the smoke cleared, a rainbow colored beam shot from it and hit Jarona, causing his life-point meter to drop from 4000 all the way to 1400. "What was that?"

"You didn't get my monster, Jarona. Instead you struck my trap card, Magic Cylinder." As the smoke cleared, Jarona could see the two red cylinders that had redirected his attack. "Now it's my turn." As Yugi touched his deck, he could feel the power of the card he was about to draw. "Now, Valkyrion, reveal yourself." As Valkyrion jumped from the fourth hat, the remaining hats disappeared. "Now, separate."

With that, Valkyrion disassembled itself and became the three Magnet Warriors once again. "Now I sacrifice Alpha, Beta, and Gamma to summon this." The swirling winds around the three monsters combined into one giant tornado the reached nearly to the ceiling. It cleared to reveal a blue, winged titan with claws sharp enough to cut a steel beam in half with one swing. "Obelisk the Tormentor."

"This is funny," said Jarona, chuckling softly. "I should have known that, in attempting to resurrect and Egyptian God, I would have to face one."

"This duel is over," said Yugi. "Obelisk, attack with Fist of Fate. Destroy his Bladedge and end this duel." On Yugi's command, the Egyptian God raised its fist, and brought it down directly on Bladedge, destroying it.

"Normally that would be the end," said Jarona as the shockwaves settled, "but I knew you'd destroy Bladedge, so I had this waiting." He raised his face-down card. "This is a very special trap known as Dimension Wall. It is one of the very few trap cards that will have any effect on the Egyptian Gods. You see, it has no direct effect on a monster, merely the damage it inflicts. It redirects any battle damage I take back at my opponent." Without any further explanation, the remaining force of the attack struck Yugi from behind, and his life-point meter dropped from 3100 to 1700.

"That was a good move," said Yugi, recovering after being hit. "Now take your turn."

"I shall," said Jarona, drawing his card. "I summon Winged Kuriboh in defense mode, and end my turn."

"That's a very interesting move. I feel like I've seen this exact strategy before."

"You should," said Jarona. "You gave me this card."

"I suspected as much, Jaden."

"You remember, I see."

"I gave you that card because I sensed greatness in you," said Yugi. "I had hoped you would be a duelist of good."

"I was," said Jarona, "but when I discovered the Dagger of Fate, I became Jarona, and things became clearer. The only thing that matters is power, and none is greater than my master's power."

"Then I guess the only way to clear your mind is to defeat you. I draw, and attack your monster." Obelisk attacked, and destroyed Winged Kuriboh.

"My turn," said Jarona. "I play Pot of Greed. This allows me to draw two cards from my deck." He drew the cards. "Now I activate a magic card known as Premature Burial. By paying a mere 800 life-points, I can revive one of my fallen monsters. Now come forth, Winged Kuriboh." As his life-point meter dropped from 1400 to 600, his monster was resurrected in a flash of light, seeming completely unaffected by Yugi's last attack. "Now I place a card face-down, and end my turn."

_I know what he has planned_, Yugi thought to himself, _and if I am to beat it, I need the right card. _He placed his hand on his next card. _Heart of the cards, guide me._ With that thought, Yugi drew his card. He smiled when he saw the card. "Now Jarona, let's end this duel. I summon my Silent Swordsman, and then I activate the magic card Level Up. This card allows me to raise one of my monsters to its highest level." Just as Yugi said, his Silent Swordsman changed from a kid, barely strong enough to lift its sword, to an experienced warrior, brandishing a sword far upgraded from that of its lower level. "Now my swordsman, strike down his monster."

"You're a fool, Yugi," said Jarona. "You should never have attacked. Now I shall win. I reveal my face-down card, Transcendent Wings. By discarding two cards from my hand, I can also bring my monster to its highest level, which will mean my victory." He discarded the last two cards in his hand, and the Transcendent Wings approached his Kuriboh. When the wings reached the Kuriboh, however, they disappeared. "What did you do?" Jarona asked Yugi.

"I didn't do anything," answered Yugi, "but my swordsman did. At his highest level, my Silent Swordsman has the ability to negate all magic cards." This realization brought a look of fear to Jarona's face as the Silent Swordsman destroyed his Winged Kuriboh, dealing 2500 damage in the process. As his life-point counter fell to zero, Jarona fell to his knees.

"Defeat or not, I succeeded," said Jaden. "I'm sorry, Yugi. The Dagger of Fate changed me, made me evil, but now its influence is broken. However, it still gets to claim my soul for losing this duel. Osiris will still be resurrected." Jaden leaned over in pain, then looked back at Yugi. "Yugi, before my soul is taken by the shadows, I shall tell you everything I know. The Shadow Items corrupt their wielder. Another duelist may already be attempting to resurrect one of the Gods. You have to stop this. You must destroy the Shadow Items before it's too late." A faint smile crossed Jaden's face. "Good-bye, Yugi." As he said those words, the Dagger of Fate lifted itself into the air, pointed its blade at Jaden, and began to absorb his soul. When it finished, Jaden fell to the ground, followed by the Dagger of Fate. Yugi ran to Jaden's side and lifted him slightly.

"I will put a stop to this, Jaden," said Yugi in a deep, determined voice. "I will find the Shadow Items and destroy them. I will defeat any Gods that have been resurrected and seal them away. And I will restore your soul."

"Is that what you think?" said a voice that sounded like every word was being forcefully pushed from its owner's lungs. "You fool. You shall never succeed. By manipulating this fool, I was resurrected instead of Osiris. He didn't realize that to use the Dagger of Fate properly, he would need an image of the one he intended to revive. Because he didn't have one, I was able to manipulate the Dagger of Fate into releasing me from my prison. Now I am free to resurrect my army. The Gods will rise, and you shall fall. Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha." The voice continued laughing as it and the shadow cloud faded. Once they could get through, Yugi's friends rushed to his side.

"Are you okay, man?" asked Tristan.

"Yes, but he isn't." Yugi gestured towards Jaden.

"I know him," said Kaiba. "He was one of the strongest duelists ever to attend my academy. Jaden Yuki."

"See to him," said Yugi as he walked to his desk. He turned to address the students. "Can I have your attention, everyone? All classes are dismissed for the rest of the semester until further notice. Everyone please return to your dorms." After he'd finished speaking, the students began leaving the room. Once everyone left the room, Yugi turned towards his friends.

"You mind explaining what's going on here,Yugi?" asked Kaiba.

"Yea, what's with the "school's out" routine?" asked Joey.

"He's back," said Yugi. "Zorc is back."


	2. A God Reborn

**Chapter 2**

"So, let me see if I've got this straight," said Tristan after Yugi had explained everything. "Zorc sent this kid after you to duel you for your soul in order to revive himself. He lost so his soul was forfeit, so Zorc was revived anyway. Now Zorc is free to find these Shadow Items to revive the Egyptian Gods to conquer the world. Is that about right?"

"That's right," answered Yugi.

"But you can stop him by getting the Shadow Items first and destroying them, right?" asked Joey.

"Yes. All I have to d…" Yugi paused. "The Dagger of Fate!" Yugi turned towards Jaden, but the Dagger of Fate was not where Jaden had dropped it. "No, he already has one!"

"Uh guys," said Tristan, looking around. "That dagger isn't the only thing Zorc took. Bakura's gone." They all looked around the room, only to discover that Bakura indeed was gone.

"He must have gone to search for the other Shadow Items," said Yugi.

"Well we've got to get to them first," said Tea.

"Maybe we've seen some of these Shadow Items and we just don't know it, Yug'," said Joey. "Do you know anything about the Shadow Items?"

"Well," said Yugi, thinking. "Jaden did mention that the Shadow Items have the Millennium Symbol on them, but instead of a gold circle in the center they have a red sphere." Upon hearing this, Kaiba started chuckling to himself.

"What's so funny?" asked Tea.

"We're one step ahead of Zorc," Kaiba answered. "Amara has one."

Everyone looked at Kaiba blankly. Finally Tristan said, "Who's Amara?"

"My daughter." The stares continued. "What? Didn't you know I had a daughter?"

"We didn't even know you were married," said Tea.

Kaiba started to chuckle again. "I find that funny considering my brother-in-law is standing in this room." As he said this, Kaiba turned his eyes. The group followed Kaiba's gaze to see Joey standing with his arms crossed, his head turned to the side, his eyes facing up, and his mouth tightened into a frown.

"Wait," said Tristan. "Joey's your brother-in-law?"

Tea continued, "Then that would make your wife Serenity." Tristan's face turned to one of sorrow and despair.

"Are you telling me," asked Kaiba, "that Joey actually kept his mouth shut for eighteen years?"

"What?" said Joey, obviously offended by Kaiba's remark. "I've kept things to myself before."

"Name one," said Kaiba.

"Ok, there was…well there was that one…or the time…" Joey was obviously at a loss. After a bit of thinking out loud, he said "I don't feel like it right now, rich boy."

Kaiba turned back to the rest of the group. "So Joey here didn't tell you guys that you were all invited to the wedding?"

"He failed to mention that as well," said Tea with an angry expression on her face. The rest of the gang looked angry as well.

"He told me that none of you could make it," said Kaiba. As he looked toward Joey again, he said, "I guess some people never grow up."

"You take that back, Kaiba!" yelled Joey.

"Why?" said Tristan. "It's true."

"What?!"

"Ok, guys," said Tea, "can we focus on what's really important?"

"Alright," said Joey. He turned towards Kaiba. "So you say Amara has a Shadow Item?"

"It's a contact lens of some kind," said Kaiba. "She bought it two years ago while shopping with some of her friends. She thought it looked cool, and she's worn it during every duel since she bought it. It never occurred to me before but she's gotten a lot better since she started wearing it."

"Zorc will be after that lens," said Yugi. "He probably knows we know about it, so it will be his next target. We'd better get going."

"Hang on," said Tristan. "I'm confused about something. Kaiba, you said your daughter has had this Shadow Item for two years, right?"

"Yeah," said Kaiba.

"So why didn't she go all evil like Jaden did?"

"Jaden said that the Egyptian God he was trying to revive was Osiris. The lens must belong to one of the four Gods that we didn't know about. These four must not be as powerful as the other three."

"So you think it might not affect her like it did Jaden?" asked Kaiba.

"No, I think it will," said Yugi. "It just might take some time to do it."

"Then we better find Amara now," said Tristan.

"Where should we start looking?" asked Tea.

"I suggest we split up and search the city," said Yugi.

Kaiba looked at his watch. "There's no need for that."

"What are you talking about?" said Joey. "Your daughter's in danger."

"I mean I know where she is. It's four-thirty. She'll be dueling in Kaiba Corp Plaza right now. It's about ten minutes away from here.

"So let's get going," said Yugi. "At the rate he left, Zorc is probably the one she's dueling." As Yugi said that, the group left for Kaiba Corp Plaza.

----

The group arrived at Kaiba Corp Plaza to find Amara Kaiba dueling Zorc, as Yugi had predicted. Amara was wearing the black uniform of Duel Academy's Horus dorm, recently instated for exceptionally skilled senior students. Her brown hair ran down to just below her shoulders, and her blue eyes, just lighter than her father's, glowed with determination. She wore a duel disk that her father had specially made for her. It was in the shape of a Blue-Eyes White Dragon, with the head at one end and the neck forming the rest of the disk. It was made in a way so that the mouth opened to hold field magic cards, and the Dragon's claw covering the graveyard. Raised in preparation for Amara's next turn, the disk shined light blue in the light.

Her opponent, Zorc, had indeed possessed Bakura. He had on his jeans and blue-and-white-striped shirt, the back of which was covered by his long, white, spiky hair, and his face had a look of evil on it. His duel disk was also raised, as he had just summoned a monster.

The field was bare, except for two monsters. On Zorc's side of the field stood the Dark Necrofear, arms crossed and bending down in defense mode. The defense meter flashed 2800. On Amara's side of the field stood the mighty Tyrant Dragon, its eyes displaying a scowl at the Necrofear. It stood in attack mode, and looked almost as if it was angry at not being able to attack the Necrofear yet. The attack meter flashed 2900. Zorc's life-point meter flashed 3600 and Amara's flashed 700.

"Look at that life-point difference," said Tristan. "We're too late."

"You should know better than to underestimate a member of my family," said Kaiba. "Amara's already won."

"Now that my Necrofear is on the field, you'll think twice before attacking," said Zorc, "because if you destroy my Necrofear, your dragon becomes mine."

"Sorry, pal," said Amara, "but this dragon only obeys one person. Now it's my turn." She drew her card. "Now I equip my Tyrant Dragon with the Shooting Star Bow." As she played the card, a bow appeared in one of the dragon's hands, and an arrow appeared in the other. Since a move like this was rare, the spectators of the duel were surprised when the dragon bent his head down and ate the bow and arrow. Once it had swallowed and lifted its head, the attack meter reduced itself from 2900 to 1900.

"Why would you reduce your dragon's attack power?" asked Zorc. "I expected more from a Kaiba. Winning this duel will be easier than I thought."

"That's what you think," said Amara. "My dragon's attack may have been lowered by 1000, but now he can attack you directly." As she said this, the Tyrant Dragon opened its mouth and launched two streams of fire, interlocking in a helix pattern, directly at Zorc, the arrow it had swallowed at the head of the helix. They hit Zorc hard, and he bent down a little to absorb the force. His life-point meter was reduced from 3600 to 1700.

As he bent back up, Zorc started to laugh. "That was impressive," he said, "but you'll still lose."

"Apparently you're not familiar with my dragon's effect," said Amara. "If you have a monster on the field, my dragon can attack a second time. Now Tyrant Dragon, end this duel. Attack with Hellfire Helix!" Her dragon opened its mouth at the command, and the helix erupted from its mouth once again. The attack hit Zorc in the chest and reduced his life-point meter to zero.

"It seems that I have underestimated the power of the Lens of Revelation," said Zorc as the group approached. "It doesn't matter. I already have two Shadow Items in my possession, so I'll just send my minion after the lens once he has been resurrected. Until then, you should all prepare to face your ultimate destruction." Zorc laughed as he faded into the shadows.

"Zorc, wait!" said Yugi, but he was too late. Zorc was already gone.

"Amara!" said Kaiba as he came up to his daughter.

Amara turned to see her father. "Hey dad," she said as she ran to hug her father. She threw her arms around him, and he met her embrace with his own. "It's so good to see you."

Kaiba smiled, but then his smile faded as he looked at his daughter's face. "Amara, what's wrong?"

"Nothing," she said. "Nothing's wrong."

"Amara," Kaiba said, "I'm your father. I know when something's bothering you."

Amara's smile faded and she fell into her father's arms, crying. Through her crying, she managed to tell him why she was crying. "It was the most horrible thing I've ever seen. Out of my left eye, I saw my opponent, a man with long, white hair. But out of my right eye, the eye I wear my lens in, I saw his true form. At first there was nothing, then I blinked, and I saw it. A giant monster, purple, brown, and green, with a red cape over its wings, and horns coming out of its shoulders. Its face was the worst part. That face was horrible. It was so twisted with evil. That face. Its face." She continued to cry in her father's arms.

Yugi had a puzzled look on his face. "That doesn't sound like the Zorc we saw twenty years ago."

"Then what you saw wasn't his true form."

"What do you mean?" Kaiba asked his daughter.

"My lens, the Lens of Revelation as he called it, allows me to see the truth in things, even the truth in my dueling moves. The fact that I could only see it every other time I blinked must mean that whatever it is, its not completely there, like it's fazing into this world."

"So that's why Zorc wants the Shadow Items and the Gods," said Yugi. "He must need them to become completely resurrected."

"He said he already has two Shadow Items, didn't he?" asked Tea. "That means two Egyptian Gods may already have been revived."

"No," said Yugi. "He needs an image of the one he intends to revive with the Dagger of Fate. In the case of the Egyptian Gods, a card. He may be able to revive one, but the Dagger of Fate belongs to Osiris, and the only copy of Osiris the Sky Dragon rests in my deck."

"But he can revive one," said Tristan, "and I have a feeling we're in for the challenge of a lifetime."

----

Zorc was ready to win his next duel. With two monsters on his field, the Dark Ruler Ha Des in attack mode and a face-down monster in defense mode, and his life-points at 7500, his opponent was in a losing position. With only 400 life-points, the only thing saving Weevil Underwood from defeat was the 3500 attack-point Perfectly Ultimate Great Moth in attack mode on his side of the field.

"It's too bad for you that my draining shield stopped your moth's attack," said Zorc as he drew his card. "Now to finish you. I flip my face-down monster." At his command the monster revealed itself. It was a bumpy little blue thing with purple wings and four purple legs, each ending in three sharp talons. Its neck ended in an orange eye with a green pupil. The attack meter flashed 200. "It's called Brain Jacker, and it has a very interesting ability. When flipped, it latches on to a monster on my opponent's side of the field and takes control of it." With that, the Brain Jacker leapt onto the moth's head. As it prepared to take control, its eye vanished into its neck and became replaced by a circle of sharp teeth. It bit into the head of the moth, and after a few seconds the moth flew to Zorc's side of the field and turned to face Weevil.

"No!" exclaimed Weevil. "Without my moth, I'm defenseless."

"You've been defenseless this whole duel," said Zorc. "You just didn't realize it. Now let's find out how humiliating it is to be beaten by your own monster. Perfectly Ultimate Great Moth, destroy him." With the Brain Jacker firmly attached to its head, the moth obeyed its new master. It began flapping its wings. As it flapped them it released poisonous spores from them. The spores began flying at Weevil, and when they reached him, his life-point meter was reduced to zero.

Weevil fell to his knees. "How could I lose? And to my own monster." He turned to Zorc. "I'll remember this."

"No, you won't," said Zorc as he pulled the Embodiment of Apophis card from his pocket and placed it on the ground. "As the victor of this Shadow Game, I've earned something." He reached into the black duster that he acquired shortly after losing to Amara Kaiba and produced the Dagger of Fate. He raised it and pointed it at Weevil. "Your soul!"

Weevil screamed in agony as his soul was absorbed into the Dagger of Fate. Once Weevil had fallen to the ground, and his soul completely absorbed by the Dagger of Fate, Zorc raised the dagger to the sky. "With this sacrifice, I resurrect thee." He turned the dagger so that it faced the ground, pointing directly at the Embodiment of Apophis. "Now, come forth." He thrust the dagger downward, stabbing directly through the card. "Apophis!!!"

Zorc let go of the dagger as the shadows began to swirl around it. Almost immediately, a cloud of shadows burst up from the Dagger of Fate, enveloping everything in a three-foot radius and climbing to a height two feet above Zorc's head. After about fifteen seconds of flashing shadow energy, the cloud began to clear. Standing within in the cloud stood a cloaked figure. Zorc could see the blue and gold armor that extended from beneath the cloak. Also extending from the bottom of the cloak was a blue tail with a purple underside that reached almost to the ground. On his left arm he wore a black duel disk, forged from the shadows. His right hand was raised, clutching the very card used to bring him forth, uncut where the dagger had stabbed it. His face was twisted, almost to the head of a serpent, and his bright red eyes glowed in the darkness. He knelt to the ground.  
"Master," he said to Zorc, bowing. "Thank you for releasing me. I offer this as tribute." Apophis raised his arms and muttered a chant under his breath. The duel disk on Zorc's arm changed from that of Battle City to one of shadows, similar to that on his minion's arm, but much more refined and evil looking.

Zorc raised his arm to admire his new Shadow Disk. "This is much more fitting than Kaiba's disk," said Zorc as he knelt to pick up the Dagger of Fate. "I thank you, Apophis. Now, stand." Apophis did as he was ordered. "I have some things of yours. First, a deck I assembled that represents the power you held back in ancient Egypt. There is only one card missing."

Knowing exactly what Zorc meant by this, Apophis took the deck and slipped the Embodiment of Apophis in it. He then placed his deck in his Shadow Disk, then looked back at Zorc, ready to receive what he knew was coming.

"Second, your Shadow Item." With that, Zorc reached into his coat and pulled out a golden manacle with the Shadow Symbol, the golden eye with the red sphere. He handed it to Apophis, who then slipped it on over his right wrist. "Now, I have a job for you."

"I am yours to command, master," said Apophis, bowing again.

"I need you to find Amara Kaiba and challenge her for the Lens of Revelation. Being only partly resurrected, I was no match for the lens. But with your Shadow Item, you should have no problem."

"As you command, master," said Apophis. "I will defeat this girl and bring you what you desire."

"Good," said Zorc. "Now go." With that, Apophis turned and headed for Kaiba Corp.

----

Yugi, Kaiba, and the others sat in the lobby of Kaiba Corp, preparing their decks for the challenge they knew was coming. Kaiba was helping Tristan and Tea assemble their decks, as they were not quite up to the skill level of the rest of the group. His wife Serenity did not need any help. Being married to Seto Kaiba for eighteen years had turned her into quite the skilled duelist. Amara had just finished adjusting her deck when Apophis walked in the building.

"Amara Kaiba," he said, looking directly at her. "My name is Apophis, and I have come on behalf of Zorc to challenge you to a duel for your Lens of Revelation.

"What's in it for me?" she asked, attempting to avoid the challenge and solve one of their problems.

"I shall wager this," said Apophis, raising his right arm. "My Manacle of Obedience."

Amara knew she couldn't refuse. "Alright. Let's duel outside." Apophis complied, leading Amara through the door. The rest of the gang followed.

Once they had enough room for the duel, Apophis turned to face Amara, who was already shuffling her deck. "Now," he said, shuffling his own deck, "prepare to lose to an Egyptian God and experience eternal torment."

"You obviously have never heard about me. You're about to feel what it's like to duel the Mistress of Dragons." They both raised their disks, decks already inside. "Let's duel."

****


	3. Snakebite Pt 1

**Chapter 3**

Their life-point meters flashed 4000 as Apophis and Amara drew their hands. "I hope you don't mind if I begin the duel," said Apophis, drawing his card.

"Go ahead," said Amara.

"First, I'll summon my Balloon Lizard in defense mode." As Apophis placed the card on his disk, a small, brownish-green lizard with an elastic underbelly appeared on his side of the field. The defense meter flashed 1900. "Then I'll place two cards face-down, and end my turn." The two cards appeared behind his monster.

_I've never even heard of that card,_ Amara thought to herself, drawing her card. _I'd better be careful._ "First I place one card face-down, and then I summon my Mystic Tomato in defense mode." Her face-down card appeared first, followed by an orange-red tomato with an evil grin on its face. The defense meter flashed 1100. "I don't know what your lizard does, so this is it for now."

As Apophis drew his card, the Balloon Lizard puffed up by about a six inch radius. "At the beginning of each of my turns, my Balloon Lizard fills with a small amount of gas. As for what happens when it pops…well, you'll have to discover that on your own. For now, I summon my Ancient Lizard Warrior in attack mode." A green, scaly reptile with a brown underside appeared on his side of the field. It stood upright, and had three long claws on each hand, instead of fingers. At its shoulders, its scales spread outward, forming spiked shoulder-guards. It wore a spiked collar around its neck. The attack meter flashed 1400. "Now my Lizard Warrior will attack your tomato." As he said this, the lizard lunged at the tomato, slicing it to pieces with its claws. Amara moved her arms to block the shockwaves.

"I guess you didn't know," said Amara, "but when my Mystic Tomato is destroyed, I can summon another monster straight from my deck. Come forth, Lord of Dragons!" As she said this, a monster with dark skin was summoned to her side of the field. It was wearing bone armor and a blue cloak. The attack meter flashed 1200.

"I knew," said Apophis. "I just didn't care. Now make your move."

"I shall," said Amara, drawing her card. "I play Card Destruction. When this card is activated, we both discard our hands and draw the same number of cards that we previously held." She discarded her hand, then drew four cards. "That makes four for me, and three for you."

"Normally you would be correct," said Apophis, discarding his hand. A few seconds after placing his hand in the grave, sparks shot from his graveyard, followed by another shot of sparks a couple seconds later. "However, among the cards I just discarded was my Electric Snake. When that card is sent from my hand to the grave, I am able to draw two cards from my deck." He drew his cards and held up his hand. "I believe that means I get to draw five cards." He grinned at Amara, staring directly into her right eye. "If you knew how to use that lens of yours properly, you would have seen that coming." Amara's face tightened in anger. "I'm curious as to why you didn't destroy that thing when you had the chance."

"We thought that we could use it against you Egyptian Gods," Amara answered. "You know, give our side a small advantage in saving the world."

"Liar," said Apophis. "I don't need that lens to hear the truth in your answer. You tried to destroy it and failed, didn't you?"

Amara's face tightened again. "So you figured it out. That doesn't mean you're walking away from this duel with my lens."

"So naïve," said Apophis. "I won this duel before it started."

"We'll see about that," said Amara, examining her four new cards. Among them were Monster Reborn and Polymerization. "Now I play Monster Reborn, in order to revive my Divine Dragon Ragnarok, sent to my graveyard with Card Destruction." A light-pink, almost white, dragon with six eyes, a snake-like body, and a long horn on the end of its nose appeared on Amara's side of the field. It floated in the air, waving itself in a very graceful manner. The attack meter flashed 1500. "And now to combine my monsters. I play Polymerization." The dragon began to swirl together with the Lord of Dragons, and, after a flash of light, a new monster appeared. The Lord of Dragons had taken on a new shape, its legs replaced by the body of the Divine Dragon, forming a tail. The head of the dragon, however, became the breastplate of the new creature's armor, its neckline becoming a white-frill collar. The Lord's cloak became its wings, and it gripped a Flute of Summoning Dragon in its hand. The attack meter flashed 2400. "Meet one of my favorite monsters. It's called King Dragun, and it has several abilities, including protecting my dragons from your magic and trap cards." She turned her eyes from Apophis to her monster. "Now King Dragun, destroy his Lizard Warrior with Fire Scorch." Amara's monster raised its flute, and a spiral of flame shot from it, headed straight for the lizard.

"Do you really think that will be enough?" asked Apophis, raising one of his face-down cards. "I activate the trap card Second Skin." The Lizard Warrior turned completely beige just before the fire hit it. When the explosion dissipated, the Lizard Warrior was still standing there, back to its normal color, with flakes of beige scales falling from its body.

"What happened?" asked Amara.

"It's quite simple, my dear," answered Apophis. "My Second Skin trap card protects one of my reptiles from your monster's attack. Unfortunately, it does not protect my life-points." As he said this, his life-point meter fell from 4000 to 3000. "Now I believe it's my turn." He drew his card, and his Balloon Lizard expanded another six inches. "First I play Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy your face-down card." A swirling wind surrounded Amara's face-down Ring of Destruction from beneath, and her card was sucked down and destroyed. The shockwaves were small this time, barely blowing her hair back. "Next I sacrifice my Ancient Lizard Warrior to summon a monster known as Bitelon." A purple monster with a white underside took the lizard's place. It had a dragon-like body with a neck five times as long, two horns curving back from its head. It had one yellow eye in the center of its forehead, just above a grin displaying its razor-sharp teeth. The attack meter flashed 2400.

"Our monsters are of equal strength," said Amara. "An attack would result in a stalemate."

"Once again you would normally be correct. However, I still have a card face-down." He raised the card. "It's called Energy Drain, and it grants my monster 200 extra attack and defense for each card in my opponent's hand until the end of the turn." Streams of energy began to flow from the two cards in Amara's hand to the Bitelon, and the attack meter rose from 2400 to 2800. "Now Bitelon, attack and destroy her dragon." At its master's command, Bitelon extended its neck out to King Dragun, wrapped its head around the dragon, and squeezed, destroying the dragon in the process. Shockwaves roared past Amara as her life-point meter fell to 3600. With that, the Bitelon retracted its neck back to Apophis' side of the field. "Next I'll place a card face-down, and watch as you try in vain to survive one of my most powerful monsters."

----

_I didn't think it would be this easy, _thought Zorc as he walked down the hall towards the Kaiba Corp basement. _It seems that duel attracted more of Kaiba's guards than I had anticipated. Acquiring the item I seek will be a simple task. _Zorc took a look around before proceeding down the steps. Getting inside the building had been no trouble at all thanks to the distraction that Apophis was creating at that very moment. However, Zorc knew that entering had only been the first step. He knew that there would be a great deal of security to get past on the way to Kaiba's vault.

As Zorc turned the corner, he encountered two of Kaiba's security guards. Zorc smiled as the two pointed their guns at him. _Is this all that Kaiba can muster? _thought Zorc as he reached into his coat.

"Okay, buddy," said one of the guards. "Hands in the air where I can see 'em."

"No problem," said Zorc as he slowly withdrew his hand and raised his arms. In his hand he held up a trap card. "Threatening Roar!" The card flashed as he said this, and a loud roar echoed through the hall. The guards were forced to drop to their knees and cover their ears at the sound. Zorc, however, seemed unaffected as he lowered his hands and put away the card. As he walked between the guards, he gave them both a chop on the back of the neck simultaneously, knocking them out. Once they hit the ground, the roar subsided, and he proceeded down the hall. As he turned the next corner, he came face to face with another corridor, this one lined with security devices, including several laser sensors and a security camera almost directly above him. _This is the easy part, _he thought as he looked up at the camera. He glared at the camera with a grin on his face. _Is this the best you can do? _He tightened his glare, losing his grin and widening his eyes. As he did, the camera's lens shattered, and the camera shut off.

----

Amara stood across from Apophis, studying the three cards in her hand, trying to figure out how to defend against his Bitelon. She didn't have much to work with, so she had to choose her move carefully.

"Are you going to make a move or do you just want to surrender now?" taunted Apophis.

Amara had had enough. She decided to rely on the Lens of Revelation for her next move. "You're so impatient, Apophis," said Amara, choosing her card. "I summon the Dragon Dwelling in the Cave in defense mode." A green dragon with webbed ears appeared on her side of the field. It seemed quite docile, as it just lay there with its head on the ground. However, one look at it and Apophis knew it had thick scales. The defense meter flashed 2000. "How's that for a move?" she asked mockingly. "Now let's see yours."

"Very well," said Apophis. "I draw, and my Balloon Lizard expands even more." The Balloon Lizard did indeed grow another six inches, bringing it to a foot and a half. "Now I'll have my Bitelon crush your dragon." His monster wrapped its neck around Amara's dragon and squeezed. The shockwaves were once again intense, and Amara's life-point meter fell to 3200. "Oh, and, in case I forgot to mention, when Bitelon destroys a defense-position monster, if its attack is higher than that monster's defense, the difference is subtracted from your life-points."

"Really?" said Amara, recovering from the shockwaves. "I couldn't tell." She drew her next card. "Now I play Pot of Greed. This allows me to draw two new cards, bringing my total to four." She drew the cards and examined her situation. Her lens came through for her last turn. "Now I activate White Dragon Ritual." She placed the card in her disk, and a cloud formed overhead. "By sacrificing monsters from my hand and field whose total level equals four or more, I can now summon a new monster, and I have just the sacrifice." She took one of the three remaining cards from her hand and showed it to Apophis. It was the Tyrant Dragon. "By sending this card to the graveyard, I am able to summon the Paladin of White Dragon!" A knight in white armor appeared on her side of the field. It was holding a saber and riding what appeared to be a young white dragon with yellow eyes. The attack meter flashed 1900. "But it doesn't stop there, Apophis. By sacrificing this monster, I can summon a much more powerful one from my deck. So now I sacrifice my Paladin of White Dragon to summon the Blue-Eyes White Dragon!" The Paladin was replaced by a fearsome beast with white scales and pure blue eyes. It towered above the duel, making even Bitelon's neck seem small. It roared as it appeared on the field, ready to obey the Mistress of Dragons. The attack meter flashed 3000.

"What's going on here, Kaiba?" asked Tristan. "I thought the only three Blue-Eyes that existed were all in your deck."

"My daughter wanted them more than anything," answered Kaiba. "So I told Pegasus I'd pay him a great deal of money to create three more for her, and after losing to me in yet another duel, he agreed to my proposition."

"Don't you think you're spoiling her a little?" asked Tea.

"A little," said Serenity, "but she's earned everything we've given her." She turned to her husband. "Seto wouldn't even consider it until she beat him in a duel."

"She made me proud," said Kaiba. "She deserved those cards."

"Now Apophis," said Amara, "witness the power of my monster."

"Impressive," Apophis sneered, "but it can't attack this turn thanks to your Paladin's effect."

"It doesn't need to attack," she said, placing the last card in her hand into the disk. "All it needs is this. I activate the magic card Burst Stream of Destruction. When I have a Blue-Eyes on the field, this card allows me to destroy all of your monsters." The Blue-Eyes opened its mouth, charged up a great deal of lightning, and let loose a powerful blast from its jaws, annihilating the Bitelon first, and then moving on to the Balloon Lizard. Before the smoke cleared, a gust of wind shot from where the Balloon Lizard had been towards Amara. She moved her arms to block the wind, and her life-point meter fell to 2000. "What happened?"

"You see, Miss Kaiba, my Balloon Lizard has a very interesting ability. When it's destroyed, it takes out 400 of your life-points for each of my turns it has been on the field."

Amara frowned at Apophis. "You may have taken out half my life-points and several pathetically weak dragons, but how will you deal with this magnificent creature?" She gestured toward the Blue-Eyes. When she said those words, a look of fear crossed Kaiba's face.

"I think you were right, Yugi," said Kaiba. "I think that lens is starting to affect her mind."

"What makes you say that?" asked Yugi.

"She holds all dragon cards in the highest regard. She wouldn't even call a Petit Dragon pathetic."

Yugi turned back to the duel, a similar look on his face. "Then we better hope this duel ends soon, before she ends up just like Jaden."

Amara turned her gaze from her dragon back down to Apophis. "It's your move."

"I draw," said Apophis, "and then summon my Cobra Jar in defense mode." A blue urn with strange markings appeared on his side of the field. The defense meter flashed 300. "That's all for now."

Amara drew her card. "I guess I'll have to destroy that thing. Blue-Eyes, attack!" The dragon opened its mouth and fired a burst of lightning towards the jar. Apophis let the shockwaves blow past him. When the smoke cleared, a small, green cobra was sitting where the jar had been. The defense meter flashed 1200. "Where'd that thing come from?"

"When you destroyed my Cobra Jar, it summoned this Poisonous Snake Token in defense mode," answered Apophis. "Now it's my move. I'll place one card face-down, and end my turn."

Amara drew her card. "Blue-Eyes, attack that snake with White Lightning!" Her dragon complied, and fired another burst of lightning from its mouth, destroying the cobra. Amara felt a sudden pain, and her life-point meter fell to 1500. "You're starting to annoy me, Apophis."

"Why? You're the one causing all this damage. You see, when the Poisonous Snake Token is destroyed, you lose 500 life-points."

"Just make your move."

"As you wish," he said, drawing his card. _Just what I needed, _he thought. "I summon my Alien Hunter in attack mode." This time the lizard that appeared on his field was a light blue color. It stood upright, and was wearing spiky, silver armor with blue spheres in the chest-plate. It clutched a white pitchfork-like staff in its hands. The attack meter flashed 1600.

"That's just what you needed?" said Amara in disbelief.

"Yes it is, and now it will attack your dragon."

"Okay," said Joey. "He's lost it."

"I don't think so, Joey," said Yugi. "He must have a card ready to defeat the Blue-Eyes."

"Right you are, Yugi," said Apophis. "I reveal my face-down card, Rising Energy. By discarding one card from my hand, one of my monsters gains 1500 attack points." The lizard's staff became surrounded by a glowing aura. The attack meter rose to 3100. "Now, Alien Hunter, destroy the Blue-Eyes White Dragon." The Alien Hunter jumped toward the Blue-Eyes and thrust its staff straight through the dragon's scales. The dragon burst into pieces and Amara's life-point meter dropped to 1400 as the shockwaves blew past her. "I give the turn to you, my dear."

"Don't call me that," said Amara, drawing her card. "I activate Graceful Charity. This allows me to draws three cards, so long as I discard two afterwards." Amara drew her three cards, then examined the five cards in her hand to figure out what to discard. "I discard my King of the Swamp and Nobleman of Crossout cards. Next I set one card face-down and end my turn."

Apophis drew. "I summon my Armored Lizard in attack mode." A lizard with a dark blue exoskeleton appeared on his side of the field. It stood upright and had razor-sharp claws and dark red eyes. The attack meter flashed 1500. "Now, my lizards, attack her life-points directly and end this duel." The two lizards lunged toward Amara, ready to reduce her life-points to zero.

"Not so fast," said Amara. "Reveal face-down card. Waboku." As she raised the card, a barrier rose up in front of her, blocking the attacks of the lizards. "This nifty little trap card reduces all battle damage that your monsters inflict to zero."

"Not bad," said Apophis, "but you've only saved yourself for a turn."

"We'll see," said Amara. "I draw." When she saw her card, a smile crossed her face. _Looks like I'm going to win, _she thought. "Tell me, Apophis, have you ever heard of a monster known as the Mythic Dragon?"

"Are you intending to summon that?" he responded. "Not likely. You don't have the cards required to perform that ritual. In addition to the ritual magic and monster cards, you also require one sacrifice of each of five elements. That's a total of seven cards, and you only have three."

"You do know that there is more than one way to summon it, don't you?" Amara asked. Apophis looked at her in obvious ignorance. "In addition to a ritual summoning, you can also use fusion."

"That still leaves you at least three cards short."

"Not really. First I activate Brain Control. This magic card allows me to take control of one of your monsters, and I think I'll take your Armored Lizard." The Armored Lizard walked over to Amara's side of the field, then turned to face Apophis. "Next I activate this card, Dragon's Mirror. This card allows me to summon a dragon monster by fusing together monsters on my side of the field with monsters I have lost during this duel."

"So you can use monsters in your graveyard?"

"That's right. Now to select the five monsters. First, my Mystic Tomato for dark. Then my King of the Swamp and my Dragon Dwelling in the Cave for water and wind, and my Tyrant Dragon for fire." Each monster appeared on her side of the field as she named them. "And finally, your Armored Lizard for earth." The five monsters began swirling together, then a flash of light blinded Apophis. When he opened his eyes, he saw a massive, golden dragon standing before him, each of its five heads grinning viciously. One was blue and had fins on its neck, one was black and looked almost ghost-like, one was made completely of fire, one was yellow and head spikes coming out of its head, and the last was made of metal, and the sound of blowing wind was emanating from its mouth. "Now witness the power of the Mythic Dragon!!"


	4. Snakebite Pt 2

**Chapter 4**

As he placed the Heavy Storm card back into his coat, Zorc turned to admire his handiwork. Where there had once been a great deal of high-tech security equipment, there were now several piles of scrap metal. _I must say, Kaiba has quite the security system, _Zorc thought. He turned the corner to find yet another corridor, this one about three times as long as the last. _How long do these hallways continue? _He came to the hall's end only to discover three possible paths. _Looks like Kaiba's really thought of everything. If I had the Millennium Ring, this would be so much easier. Guess this'll have to do instead._ He reached into his coat and pulled out a magic card. He held it above his head as he said aloud, "Chosen One." Two of the halls became clouded in shadow, while the third became illuminated. _Kaiba's security installments are no match for my shadow powers, _thought Zorc as he placed the card back in his coat. As he walked down the illuminated hallway, he couldn't help but wonder what Kaiba had coming next.

----

The attack meter flashed 5000 as the Mythic Dragon stared down at Apophis and his monster. Its five heads were almost smiling at the thought of wiping out what they saw. "Unfortunately," said Amara, "my dragon can't attack during the turn it's summoned." Apophis seemed relieved to hear this. "However, it does have a special ability to make up for that. When it's summoned, it destroys every card on your side of the field." Apophis' relief faded as the Mythic Dragon opened its mouths and sent from each a dark mist blowing towards his cards. The Alien hunter crossed its arms in a futile attempt to block the mist as it and Apophis' face-down card were destroyed. Apophis groaned angrily as the shockwaves blew past him.

"You think that matters?" he said to Amara as he drew his card. "I've got plenty more cards to beat you with." _I could end this right now, _he thought, _but I don't want to reveal the power of my manacle just yet. _"I summon Gigobyte in defense mode." A small, green, dinosaur-looking lizard appeared on his side of the field. It had orange eyes and wore tan cloth on its shins and wrists. Its hands and feet were clawed, and spikes were coming out of its knees and elbows. It was kneeling down with its arms crossed in a defensive position. The defense meter flashed 300.

Amara started laughing maniacally. "Are you serious? You actually have that in your deck?" Her laughter continued. "It doesn't even have an effect. It's completely useless." She finally started to stop laughing. "And I thought I was facing a serious duelist."

"Mock me now, oh Mistress of Dragons," said Apophis. "Let's see if you laugh when I suck the soul from your body. Now I place one card face-down and end my turn."

"Very well," said Amara, examining her new card. She turned to her dragon. "Mythic Dragon, destroy the stuffed toy. Attack with Dragon-Flight Firestorm!" The dragon obeyed its master. It arranged its heads in a pentagonal formation, opened all five of its mouths, and shot a stream of elemental energy from each of the heads. The streams of fire, water, wind, darkness, and mud intertwined and spiraled toward the Gigobyte, destroying it instantly. "I can see you winning this duel any day now," Amara said sarcastically. "What else ya got?"

"Quite a lot," said Apophis, drawing his card. "I'm nowhere near beaten. I've still got 3000 life-points."

"Yes, and I have a 5000 attack-point monster. One direct attack and you're finished."

"Then I guess I'll just have to win before you get that chance. I summon my Gagagigo in defense mode, and end my turn." This lizard was similar to the last one, only taller and much more fierce-looking. The defense meter flashed 1000.

"Oh look, it's all grown up," said Amara in a sarcastic, cutesy voice. "Give me a break." She drew her card, and smiled. "I activate the magic card Stop Defense. This forces one of your defense-position monsters into attack-position." A green aura surrounded Gagagigo, and it struggled as it was forcibly switched into attack mode. The attack meter flashed 1850. "Now say goodbye to your monster, as well as the rest of your life-points. Mythic Dragon, attack with Dragon-Flight Firestorm!" The dragon moved its heads into formation once again and began charging up energy. "Looks like you lose, weakling."

----

As Zorc turned the next corner, he found himself face-to-face with yet another long corridor. _How long is this place?_ Zorc thought. He walked down the hall with a look of exasperation on his face. As he approached the middle of the hall, his foot went through a laser sensor, and an alarm started going off. He looked behind himself to see a series of doors closing behind him. Fear crossed his face and he turned to see a door directly above him. He stepped back just in time to avoid the door coming down and crushing him. _That was close._ He looked around to see he was completely shut in. He groaned. "This is starting to annoy me, Kaiba," he said aloud. _Fortunately I've prepared for anything, _he thought. He reached into his coat and pulled out another card. "Shield Crash!" The card glowed, and the doors shattered. As the two doors around him fell to the ground in pieces, Zorc was able to see the rest crumbling as well. _One more down, _he thought, placing the card back in his coat. He finished walking this hall only to discover a set of stairs leading down to another hall. _Won't be long now. _He descended the stairs and started walking yet another hallway. _Soon what I seek will be in my grasp._

_----_

The Mythic Dragon sent its attack spiraling toward the Gagagigo, ready to devour the remainder of its opponent's life-points. "You lose, Apophis!"

"No, my dear," he said, "I don't. Reveal face-down card, Snake fang!" A small, green snake appeared around the leg of the Mythic Dragon. "This trap card allows me to reduce a monster's attack and defense by 500 points until the end of the turn." The snake bit the Mythic Dragon, and its heads began to flail. The attack meter fell from 5000 to 4500. The attack stream began to wave back and forth as it bombarded the Gagagigo. The shockwaves from the destroyed monster blew past Apophis, and his life-point meter fell from 3000 to 350. "See? Still alive."

"Not for long," she said. "Make your move."

"I draw," said Apophis, "and then I summon the Toon Alligator in defense mode." His new monster looked like a green, almost super-deformed alligator holding a small axe and grinning comically. The defense meter flashed 1600. "Then I place two cards face-down, and end my turn."

"You think you can scare me by using every card in your hand? That's the oldest bluff in the book." She drew her card. "Apophis, you've played well, for a weakling, but I don't think you'll get out of this. I activate the magic card Shooting Star Bow, and equip it to my dragon." The bow and arrow appeared in the dragon's hands, and its second and fourth heads bent down to swallow them. As it raised its heads back up, the attack meter fell to 4000. "Thanks to this card, my slightly weakened dragon can now attack you directly." She turned to her dragon. "Mythic Dragon, finish him off with Dragon-Flight Firestorm!"

"Not so fast. Reveal face-down card." He raised the card. "Shadow Spell!" Black chains shot from the card and surrounded Mythic Dragon, lowering it to its knees. The dragon struggled in vain to stand back up as the attack meter fell to 3300. "This trap card, in addition to lowering your monster's attack by 700 points, prevents your monster from attacking as long as it's on the field."

"You useless beast!" Amara yelled at her monster. "Get up. This pathetic trap should be nothing to you." The dragon struggled to obey its master, but it could not break the chains of the Shadow Spell. Amara frowned angrily at her fallen dragon. "What a weak dragon. If I had known how much you would embarrass me, I never would have summoned you." She looked at her hand, then looked back to Apophis. "I guess you've saved yourself for now. I place one card face down, then end my turn."

"This isn't good," said Kaiba.

"I agree," said Yugi. "I fear she is completely under the power of the lens."

"Seto," said Serenity, holding her husband, "what's going to happen to her?"

Kaiba could not hide the fear he felt for his daughter. "If she loses, she will lose her soul, but if she wins, she may try to take our souls. Either way it doesn't look good."

"I draw," said Apophis. He looked at the card he drew and smiled. _I'll save this for later. _"I end my turn."

Amara drew her card. "I summon my Twin-Headed Behemoth in defense mode, and end my turn." Her new monster was a purple dragon with a yellow underside. It had two wings on its back and two smaller wings on its chest. Where its head should be, it had a spike instead. It had several spikes extending from its shoulders, including one large one on the side of each shoulder. Its fearsome arms ended with its heads, each with two horns and two tusks. Its four red eyes stared at Apophis, awaiting his attack. The defense meter flashed 1200. "That's all for now."

"My move," said Apophis. "Since your dragon is currently, as you put it, weak and useless, there's no harm in putting a strong monster on my side of the field. I activate my face-down card." He raised the card. "Level Conversion Lab!" A container filled with some kind of liquid, as well as a few wires, appeared on his side of the field. Embedded in the base of the container was a small glass sphere. "Here's how it works. First I choose a monster in my hand to place in the container. And I think I'll choose Giga Gagagigo." A new lizard appeared inside the container, already attached to the wires. This reptile was similar to the Gagagigo, but it was more muscular and metal armor now covered most of its body. It seemed to be in a form of stasis. "Next I roll a die, and the monster's level becomes the result of the roll until the end of the turn. If I roll a one, however, my monster is sent straight to the graveyard." A die appeared in the glass sphere on the container and began to roll. When it came to a stop, the number three was facing outward. "Perfect," said Apophis. "Now I can summon him without any sacrifices. Come forth, Giga Gagagigo!" The lizard opened its eyes and threw its head and arms back, shattering the glass container. The container disappeared as the lizard stepped down from it. It threw its head back and let out a metal-sounding roar as the attack meter flashed 2450. "Now, Giga Gagagigo, destroy the Twin-Headed Behemoth!" His monster roared again as it lunged for Amara's Dragon, slicing it into pieces. "Your turn," said Apophis as his lizard returned to his side of the field.

"Nice try, but my Behemoth has a special ability. When it's destroyed, it returns from the grave during the next turn." Her dragon reappeared on the field, staring at the monster that just destroyed it. The defense meter flashed 1000. "Unfortunately, this effect can only be used once, and it makes a nearly useless monster even more useless by weakening it, but at least I have a defense in place. Now I draw." She frowned. She had not drawn the card she wanted. "I end my turn."

"Run out of good cards, did you?" said Apophis, smiling. He drew his card, and his smile widened. "I activate the magic card Riryoku. This card takes half the attack points of one of your monsters and adds them to the attack of one of mine." A strange aura surrounded the Mythic Dragon, then extended itself to surround the Giga Gagagigo. As the attack meter of the Mythic Dragon fell to 1650, the attack meter of the Giga Gagagigo rose to 4100. "Now, my monster may not be able to destroy the Mythic Dragon, being a water attribute, but it can still reduce your life-points to 0. Giga Gagagigo, attack the Mythic Dragon and end this duel." The lizard lunged toward the enchained dragon, ready to inflict the damage.

"It's not that easy to take out my life-points, Apophis. Reveal face-down card, Sakuretsu Armor." As she raised the card, her dragon became surrounded by a gray, spiky armor. When the Giga Gagagigo brought its claws down on the dragon, its attack stopped short, unable to pierce the armor. Half a second later, spikes shot from the armor, impaling the lizard. It let out one final roar as it disappeared, sending relatively small shockwaves past both duelists. "Thanks to this trap card," said Amara as the armor disappeared, "your attack was negated and your monster was destroyed."

"Didn't think that attack would end it," said Apophis, "but it was worth the shot. I end my turn." The aura around the dragon faded, and the attack meter rose to 3300.

"My move," said Amara. She reached for her deck to draw her next card. When she touched it, she could sense what card she was about to draw. "Now I sacrifice my two useless dragons to summon this." She drew the card and held it up. "The Blue-Eyes White Dragon!!" The Behemoth disappeared first, followed by the Mythic Dragon, the Shadow Spell with it. The two dragons were replaced by the fearsome white beast she had summoned once before. It roared onto the field as the attack meter flashed 3000. Amara looked up at the dragon and smiled. "My beautiful beast has returned." She turned to Apophis. "You may have beaten my more useless dragons, but you will never stop this dragon a second time. Now, Blue-Eyes, destroy the Toon Alligator. White Lightning attack!" The dragon let loose a burst of lightning, destroying the alligator.

Apophis laughed as the shockwaves blew past him. "It's going to take more than that to defeat me."

"True," said Amara. "But it's a start. I place a card face-down, and end my turn."

"You'll never win this duel, Miss Kaiba," said Apophis, drawing his card.

"And how are you going to stop me?"

"Any way I can. I place a card face-down, and I summon a face-down monster." A card appeared on his side of the field in defense position. "Your turn, my dear."

"Stop calling me that," said Amara angrily. "Blue-Eyes, attack!" The dragon fired another burst of lightning straight at the face-down monster. An orange, bat-like lizard with a long, golden neck appeared on the card, only to be destroyed. The destruction of the monster caused more shockwaves than normal. Gusts of wind blew towards the dragon, and it disintegrated. The card appeared back in Amara's hand.

"Sorry, Miss Kaiba, but you attacked my Gale Lizard. When it's flipped, it returns one monster on the field to its owner's hand."

"So that's why my Blue-Eyes returned to my hand," said Amara. _I'm impressed that this weakling was able to do that, but it won't matter._ "Make your move, Apophis."

"I shall," he said, drawing his card. He frowned when he saw the level eight monster he drew. "I end my turn."

"I draw," said Amara. She smiled wickedly when she saw the card. "You may have beaten two Blue-Eyes," she said, sounding like her father, "but you'll never beat three more. Activate trap card, Soul Resurrection!" She raised her face-down card, and the Blue-Eyes she lost earlier appeared on the field. The defense meter flashed 2500. "This trap allows me to revive one normal monster in defense mode." She smiled wickedly again, this time directing the smile at Apophis. "And now I activate Polymerization. This allows me to fuse the Blue-Eyes on my field with the two in my hand." Two more Blue-Eyes White Dragons appeared on her side of the field, and they began to swirl together, and a flash of light emanated from the swirl. "I summon the Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon!!" When the flash subsided, a new dragon was standing where the Blue-Eyes White Dragons had been. This one had three large heads, each with a weird mark on its forehead. It was much bigger than the Blue-Eyes White Dragon, and its scales were a deep blue. Its three heads roared simultaneously as the attack meter flashed 4500.

Apophis frowned. _First I draw a monster I can't play, _he thought, _then this? I may have to reveal the power of my manacle sooner than I had expected. _"Very impressive, Miss Kaiba," he said. "You've summoned the ultimate dragon."

"Don't praise me for doing something so easy."

"As you wish. It doesn't matter anyway. I'll still win."

"Wanna make a bet on that?" She turned to her dragon. "Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon, attack him directly with Neutron Blast!" The dragon opened its three mouths and shot a burst of lightning from each one. As the lightning approached Apophis, he moved to raise his trap card.

"Activate trap card, Negate Attack." A vortex appeared in front of him, absorbing the dragon's lightning. "This trap negates your monster's attack and ends your battle phase."

Amara groaned. "I'll defeat you next turn, Apophis."

"My move, then," said Apophis. He frowned when he saw that, once again, he drew a high level monster. _Guess I don't have a choice, _he thought. "I end my turn."

"Did he just end his turn with no cards on his field, staring down a Blue-Eyes Ultimate?" asked Joey.

"Yes," answered Kaiba, "he did."

"Then Amara's won," said Serentiy, happily.

"I don't think so," said Yugi. "I have a feeling he still has something up his sleeve."

"You lose," said Amara, drawing her card. "Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon, attack his life-points and end this duel!" The dragon opened its mouths and began charging energy.

_Guess it's time, _thought Apophis, raising his right arm. He held out his arm, his manacle at the end. "I was hoping I wouldn't have to do this yet, but you leave me no choice. Now witness the power of the Manacle of Obedience!" The eye on the manacle began to glow bright red, and the Blue-Eyes Ultimate shut its mouths.

"What happened?" asked Amara in disbelief.

"My Manacle of Obedience allows me to control monsters in a duel. I can make them do just about anything, be they my monsters or my opponent's."

"You cheat," said Amara. "But there are other ways to win. For now I summon Troop Dragon in defense mode, and end my turn." The dragon she summoned was small and green, wearing low-class armor and brandishing a small shield and sword. The defense meter flashed 800.

Apophis drew his card, but didn't bother to look at it. "You don't seem to understand. When I said I could make monsters do anything, I meant anything and everything." He raised his manacle again. "First I'll use my manacle to take control of your ultimate dragon." The eye began to glow again, and the ultimate dragon flew over to his side of the field, then turned to face Amara. "Normally it's hard to take full control of a monster," he said. "However, the way you have been treating your dragons has allowed me to do just that."

Amara fell to her knees, a look of complete despair on her face. _What have I done?_ she thought, looking into the angry eyes of her dragon.

"Next I'll use my manacle to switch your Troop Dragon into attack mode." The Troop Dragon didn't even struggle against the power of the manacle. It switched to attack mode almost willingly. The attack meter flashed 700. "Now to finish you. Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon, attack the Troop Dragon. Neutron Blast Attack!!"

Amara looked up at her dragon, and watched with tears in her eyes as her own monster let loose the full fury of its attack, no longer caring about its master. The lightning came down on the Troop Dragon and destroyed it, sending shockwaves past Amara and reducing her life-points to 0.

"Now I'll claim your soul." He raised the Manacle of Obedience, and its eye glowed red as it sucked her soul into it. Her face went blank, and she fell to the ground.

"Amara!!" cried Serenity, running to her daughter.

Kaiba's face was twisted with anger, and he couldn't hold back a tear. He turned to Apophis. "Apophis," he yelled. "Duel me right now. I want her soul back."

"Your offer is tempting," he said, opening his fist to reveal that the manacle had also taken the lens from Amara. "But you have nothing more I want. Sorry, but her soul is mine." Kaiba fell to his hands and knees, staring down at the ground with a look of helplessness on his face. Apophis smiled at this, a gesture intended to emphasize his cruelty, and then turned to leave.


	5. Serpent's Gaze

**Chapter 5**

Apophis had no intention of turning back. With the soul of a Kaiba in his manacle, and the Lens of Revelation in his hand, he was content to leave Kaiba and his friends in their misery. However, he stopped walking when he heard his master's voice inside his head. _Apophis, I need more time. Kaiba built this place like a maze._

Apophis smiled and responded. _Don't worry master. I know just what to do._ Apophis turned back to face the group. "Now that I think about it, there is something I want from you.

A look of hope played across Kaiba's face, and he stood up and held up his disk. "Make your demands and let's start this duel."

"You misunderstand. You, Kaiba, have nothing I want. This deal's with Yugi."

Kaiba became surprised, and he turned back to face Yugi. "What is it you want?" asked Yugi.

"Here's the deal," said Apophis. "Win or lose, I walk out of here with the lens, but I will wager the girl's soul."

"Against what?" asked Yugi.

"Against your Egyptian God cards."

"That's ridiculous!" shouted Tristan. "All three?"

"I accept," said Yugi, ignoring Tristan.

"But Yugi…"

"I have no choice, Tristan. He has Amara's soul, so he gets to make the rules."

Apophis could feel the power of the soul he currently had imprisoned in his manacle. "I feel I should warn you," he said, raising the manacle to his chest, "that with a soul this powerful trapped inside the Manacle of Obedience, I will have no trouble taking full control of your monsters, no matter how well you treat them."

_So that's how they work_, thought Yugi. "Before we duel, answer me this." Apophis made a gesture for Yugi to continue. "The Shadow Items, they're powered by other people's souls, aren't they?"

Apophis smiled. "I'm impressed, Yugi. Yes, you're right, but how did you figure that out from only one Shadow Item?"

"I didn't. I have encountered a Shadow Item before. The Dagger of Fate." Apophis cringed slightly at the mention of the dagger, but no one seemed to notice. "The Dagger of Fate used souls as a sacrifice for resurrection. It was easy to figure out after you mentioned that Amara's soul would allow you to control my monsters freely."

"Now I'm just stunned," said Apophis. "You came up against someone using the Dagger of Fate, and yet you're standing here to accept my challenge? Maybe I should just take my winnings and go."

"Don't even think about it, Apophis!" said Kaiba. "That's my daughter's soul you've got, and you'll duel Yugi right now."

Apophis became very angry. "Don't you dare talk to me like that again, Kaiba! I have the power to send her soul to the Shadow Realm permanently, and I'll do it if I here one more word out of you." Kaiba stepped back, quiet but still scowling. The intensity of the anger in Apophis' expression faded, and a small grin crossed his face. "But you're right. I will duel Yugi now, because my master needs the Egyptian God cards. Souls are replaceable. The God cards…" He turned to face Yugi. "…are not. If I win, I get the God cards, but if you win, I'll give the girl's soul back. Deal?"

"Deal," answered Yugi. "Now let's duel!"

----

Zorc turned another corner, and came face to face with what he had been searching for. The hall he finally came across ended only a few yards from where he was standing. At the end of the hall stood the doors to Kaiba's vault. The doors were metal, and they were controlled by an electronic locking mechanism. Zorc smiled as he walked up to the keypad. _I don't see the point of this lock_, thought Zorc, examining the final obstacle in his path. _I barely made it this far. I doubt anyone else could have._ Zorc thought for a moment, then pulled a card from his coat. Holding it up, he shouted, "System Down!" The keypad sparked, then the lights under the numbers went out. Zorc walked over to the split between the doors. _Its just sad that this will be the hardest part_, thought Zorc, gripping the doors at the split. With all the strength his human body and his dark soul could muster, he pulled.

After a few seconds of groaning, the doors began to slide open. With one final burst of strength, he pushed the doors open completely. The room inside the doors was magnificent. Several tables lined the floors, covered with computer disks, prototype electronics, blueprints for one project or another, and several stacks of money. It was nowhere near Kaiba's entire fortune, so Zorc guessed the rest of Kaiba's money was kept in various banks across the city. The left wall consisted of filing cabinets built into the wall, most likely containing important documents of some kind. The far wall had an elevator, and Zorc couldn't help but wonder where it led.

He broke his focus on the elevator and turned his attention to the right wall. It was lined with hundreds of small drawers, each big enough to contain cards. From the moment Zorc stepped into the room, he knew exactly where his goal resided. He walked to the right wall and pulled out one of the drawers on the right side of the wall almost directly centered between the floor and the ceiling, slightly closer to the floor. The drawer contained about 400 cards. Zorc reached in and pulled out a card somewhere near the center of the drawer. _You should have destroyed this when you had the chance, Kaiba_, thought Zorc, holding the card up to his face. _If you had, my resurrection would never have been able to be completed._ Zorc slipped the card in his coat and was about to leave when he heard a voice say, "Hold it right there!"

----

"I'll start things off," said Yugi, drawing his cards. "I set one card face-down, then I summon my Silent Magician in attack mode." A small, childlike sorcerer in red and black robes appeared on Yugi's side of the field. It had gray hair and clutched a small scepter in its hands. The attack meter flashed 1000. "I end my turn."

Apophis drew his card, and the Silent Magician changed. It appeared to grow slightly older, and as it got bigger, so too did the scepter it was holding. The attack meter rose from 1000 to 1500. "How did your monster's strength increase?"

"Whenever my opponent draws a card, the Silent Magician's attack power increases by 500 points," answered Yugi.

"I see," said Apophis. "That knowledge will come in handy. Now I activate the magic card Delinquent Duo. For the small price of 1000 life-points, I get to select one random card from your hand and discard it to the graveyard." His life-point meter dropped from 4000 to 3000. Two small imps took their place behind Apophis. One was red and had the number one on its forehead. The other was blue and had the number two on its forehead. Both had small wings, and they each had a green bow on the end of their tails. The red one flew over and grabbed the Dark Hole card from Yugi's hand and stuck it in his graveyard, then disappeared.

"Seems like a small effect for 1000 life-points," said Yugi.

"You're quite right," said Apophis. "Now you must choose a card and discard it from your hand." As he said this, the blue imp walked across the field and held out its hands, palms up, to Yugi, then smiled, waiting for the card. Yugi complied and handed over his Magical Hats card, which the imp dutifully placed in Yugi's graveyard. "Next I'll summon my Ancient Lizard Warrior in attack mode." The green scaled lizard appeared on his side of the field. The attack meter flashed 1400. "I don't think this is enough, so I'll take control of your monster as well." He raised his manacle, and the eye on the manacle glowed red. The Silent Magician walked over to his side of the field and turned to face Yugi. "Really, Yugi, I thought you knew better. Now, my monsters, attack his life-points directly." The Silent Magician raised its scepter and fired a ball of energy from it, and the Lizard Warrior jumped in to slash Yugi. Both attacks hit Yugi with force, and his life-point meter fell to 1100. "I'll end my turn by placing a card face-down. Your move."

Yugi drew his card, knowing he would lose the duel if he couldn't do something about the manacle. When he drew, the Silent Magician grew again, and the attack meter flashed 2000, reminding Yugi he should first deal with the monsters he faced. "I place a card face-down, and end my turn."

"I draw, and then summon my Alien Hunter in attack mode." The blue, armored lizard appeared on his side of the field, and the attack meter flashed 1600. "Now to finish you off. Attack!" The Magician fired another blue ball of energy, and the two reptiles lunged at Yugi, ready for the kill.

"Not so fast, Apophis! Reveal face-down card." Yugi raised the card. "Mirror Force!" A giant wall of light fired outward from the card, catching the attacks and vaporizing the monsters.

"Not bad," said Apophis. "I'll end my turn for now."

"I draw, then I summon Big Shield Gardna in defense mode." A kneeling warrior clutching a giant shield appeared on Yugi's side of the field. The defense meter flashed 2600. "Next I activate Swords of Revealing Light!" Several swords made up of light scattered over Apophis' side of the field. "Now your monsters won't be able to attack for three turns."

Apophis drew his card. "You may have immobilized my monsters for now, but the swords will fade, and, without the use of your monsters, you will never win this duel!"

----

As Zorc removed his hand from his coat, he turned to see where the voice had come from. The man standing before him was tall with long black hair. He wore jeans, a red and white striped shirt, and a black duster that identified him as the headmaster of Duel Academy's Horus dorm. Around his neck he wore a locket shaped like a Duel Monsters card. "So nice to see you again, Mokuba."

"Wish I could say the same to you, Bakura." He motioned to the guards behind him, and they raised their weapons. "Now put back the card you took and put your hands in the air."

Zorc had no intention of putting the card back, but he reached into his coat anyway, then raised his hands to the air. In one of them he clutched a card different from the one he took. "Nightmare Steel Cage!" he called out. Before Mokuba or the guards knew what happened, they were surrounded by a metal cage covered in spikes. Some of the guards tried firing at Zorc through the openings in the cage, but their bullets were blocked at the edge of the cage by shadow energy. Other guards were reaching for their radios, while Mokuba pulled a headset from his duster. "Don't bother," said Zorc. "Your radios won't work in that cage." He motioned to the elevator. "Now tell me where that leads…" Zorc held up another card so that Mokuba could see it. "…or I'll feed you to this monster."

Mokuba was obviously afraid of Zorc's power, and he answered as quickly as he could. "That elevator leads to Kaiba Corp's lobby. Only members of the Kaiba family can use it as an entrance to this vault."

"That explains how you got down here so fast," said Zorc. He let out a smile when he realized what Mokuba had said. "An entrance? That means anyone can use it as an exit from this vault, doesn't it?" Mokuba's face tightened when he realized he let that slip, and Zorc noticed the expression before Mokuba could mask it. He smiled and walked to the elevator. Before going in, he turned and said, "By the way, that cage will fade in about five or ten minutes, so don't worry too much. Just know that it will be impossible to follow me after it does. Looks like I win again."

Zorc entered the elevator, and Mokuba was forced to watch the elevator and the thief disappear above them. All he could do now was wait until the cage disappeared and then figure out what it was that Zorc had stolen. However, he wasn't thinking about that. All he was thinking about was how he had let his brother down.

----

"Now to take your monster as mine," said Apophis, activating the Manacle of Obedience. The Big Shield Gardna stood up, and walked to his place on Apophis' side of the field. "Then I sacrifice it to summon my Bitelon." The long necked, purple reptile appeared on the field just as the Big Shield Gardna disappeared. The attack meter flashed 2400. "I end my turn."

"I draw," said Yugi, "then I summon Gazelle the King of Mythical Beasts in defense mode!" I bipedal lion with a horn on the top of its head appeared on the field, and the defense meter flashed 1200. "Your move."

Apophis drew his card, then raised his manacle. "Haven't you learned yet? Your monsters are powerless against the combined power of Amara's soul and my Manacle of Obedience, so why do you continue to summon them?"

"Because I believe in my monsters," answered Yugi. "Even if they are under your control, they are still loyal to me, and I believe they may yet find a way to help me."

"I'm touched," said Apophis, mockingly, as Gazelle took his position. His voice became serious. "You're a fool. I'm going to win, and your monsters are going to help me. I switch Gazelle to attack mode, and end my turn." Gazelle switched to attack mode, and the attack meter flashed 1500.

Yugi drew his card. "I summon Beta the Magnet Warrior in attack mode and end my turn." Beta appeared, and the attack meter flashed 1700.

Apophis drew his card, then took control of Beta. "Your swords will fade at the end of this turn, so I may as well build up my forces. Activate trap card." He raised his face-down card. "Level Conversion Lab." The container appeared with what looked like the Giga Gagagigo inside it, and the die started rolling. "I'm sure you remember how this works. The level of the monster inside becomes the result of the die's roll until the end of the turn." The die stopped rolling and the number facing up was the number one. When Yugi saw this, he smiled.

"Why is Yugi smiling?" asked Tea. "Now that monster's level drops to one and Apophis can summon it."

"Not so, Tea," said Kaiba. "As good as Level Conversion Lab seems, it has a drawback. If the dice-roll results in a one, the monster is instantly discarded to the graveyard. That's why Yugi's smiling. He knows about the drawback."

"Sorry Apophis," said Yugi, "but it looks like you won't be summoning your monster." As he said this, the container exploded. When the smoke cleared, there was nothing there.

"It's not like it matters," said Apophis. "I still have three monsters on my field and 1900 more life-points than you, and all you have is a face-down card and one card in your hand. You can't win." Apophis laughed for a short time. "Now it's your move," said Apophis, and then he added, "Pharaoh."

Yugi felt a twinge of pain. It had been so long since he had been reminded of his friend, and he now yearned to see him again. Yugi looked back to see his friends. Tristan and Tea were standing together, and Joey, Serenity, and Kaiba were on the ground, supporting Amara's soulless body. Yugi could see the longing in their eyes. It was obvious to him that Apophis' comment had affected them as well. He looked at Amara. He had already been separated from his old friend, and if he could help it, he wouldn't lose a new one.

Yugi turned back to face Apophis. He looked at the face-down card he had set during the first turn, then at the Egyptian God card in his hand. He knew if he could summon the God, his face-down card could take care of the rest. _Heart of the cards, guide me_, he thought, drawing his card. His deck had not let him down. "This duel's over, Apophis!"

"You're right about that," Apophis responded. "No matter what card you play, you'll never win."

"That's where you're wrong. I activate the magic card Soul Exchange. This card allows me to sacrifice your monsters to summon one of my own. Now I sacrifice Bitelon, Gazelle, and Beta in order to summon this." The monsters became surrounded by swirling winds and disappeared. They were replaced by a monster on Yugi's side of the field. The giant flying dragon had four clawed appendages, arranged in pairs over the course of its mile-long body. It had a black underside, but the rest of its body was red. Its long body ended in a head with two mouths, each with two rows of razor sharp teeth. It had a blue gem in its forehead, and its yellow eyes stared down at Apophis with a menace unrivaled by any other card. The attack meter flashed 0. "Osiris the Sky Dragon!!!"

Apophis was a bit taken aback by the fact that Yugi had managed to summon the creature, but otherwise unfazed. "What are you going to do with that? Its got zero attack points."

"It does now," said Yugi, "but you forgot about my face-down card." Yugi raised the card, and a look of fear and surprise crossed Apophis' face. "I activate the trap card Final Resort. This card can only be activated when there are no cards in my hand. Now I can draw one new card for every 300 life-points I give up. Now I'll pay 900 life-points, allowing me to draw three new cards." Yugi's life-point meter dropped from 1100 to 200 as he drew his three cards. Osiris roared, and the attack meter rose from 0 to 3000. "Now, Osiris, prepare to attack." Osiris began charging a ball of thunder in its lower mouth.

Apophis started laughing. "You think that will work on me?" He raised the manacle. "Osiris, halt your attack." Despite his command, Osiris kept charging the energy. "What's going on?!" Apophis said, panicked. "Why won't it stop?"

"Sorry Apophis," said Yugi, "but some monsters cannot be controlled. Now Osiris, finish this duel. Thunder Force!!" The great dragon let loose the fury of the thunder in its mouth, and the attack rained down on Apophis. Apophis move his arms to block the force of the attack, and as it hit, his life-points dropped to zero.

"He did it," said Tea. "He won."

"Yeah," said Joey, standing. "I knew Yug' could beat that lizard."

"I won," said Yugi. "Now return her soul."

"As you wish." Apophis raised the manacle, and, in a flash of energy, returned Amara's soul. Then, the defeated God turned and left.

Amara opened her eyes to see her father leaning over her. When he saw her eyes open, Kaiba threw his arms around her. "Amara."

"I'll be fine, Dad," she said smiling, and urged him away. Getting to her feet she looked around, but saw no sign of Apophis. She turned to her father. "Tell me he got the beating he deserved."

"Yeah, he did." As Serenity hugged her daughter, Kaiba turned to Yugi. Yugi met his gaze and, although Kaiba said nothing, Yugi could tell he was grateful.

Unfortunately, Kaiba didn't get a chance to properly celebrate the return of his daughter's soul. His cell phone rang and, annoyed, he answered it. "What is it?"

"Seto," said a voice with a sad undertone.

"Mokuba? What is it? What's wrong?"

"Bakura broke in and…"

"What?! Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, but he stole something from your vault."

Kaiba couldn't believe Zorc had even made it to the vault. "What did he take?"

"We're still trying to determine exactly what…" As Mokuba's voice cut off, Kaiba could hear a security guard saying something to Mokuba. "Seto," said Mokuba, coming back on the line. "He stole a card."

"Which one?" asked Kaiba.

"The Pyramid of Light."


	6. Return to Egypt

**Chapter 6**

As Kaiba stood in his vault assessing the damage, he wondered to himself why Zorc would take the Pyramid of Light card when there were much more valuable items in the vault. The rest of the group, as well as most of the staff of Kaiba Corp, were all in the lower levels of the building with Kaiba, examining the destruction that Zorc had left behind him. As Kaiba, Yugi, and most of the others finished checking over the inside of the vault, Tristan and Joey walked in from the hallway, followed by a contingent of Kaiba Corp employees.

"Sorry, Kaiba," said Tristan, "but it looks like he destroyed your entire security system. It's all in ruins."

"I didn't expect there to be anything left if he made it here."

"I'm sorry, Seto," said Mokuba.

"For what?"

"I couldn't stop him. He brought the cards to life, and trapped us inside a cage."

_So that's how he got down here_, thought Kaiba. "I'm just glad you're alright, Mokuba." He turned to Yugi. "What would Zorc want with a card?"

"Didn't Apophis say something about Zorc needing the Egyptian God cards?" asked Joey. "Maybe that's why he needs the Pyramid of Light."

"But the Pyramid of Light's not a God card, Joey," said Tristan.

A look of realization crossed Yugi's face. "No, Tristan. Joey's right."

"Huh? I am?"

"Yes, Joey." He turned to address Kaiba. "The Shadow Items appear to be key in reviving the Egyptian Gods. However, one of the Shadow Items had already been destroyed."

Kaiba thought for a moment. "The Pyramid of Light!"

"Exactly. The Dagger of Fate must be able to restore more than just living beings. That must be what he needs the card for. He plans to use it to revive the Shadow Item."

"So what do we do now?" asked Tea. "We can't just sit here and wait for him to revive more Egyptian Gods."

"Tea's right," said Serenity. "We need to do something."

"How did we not know any of this before?" asked Kaiba. "After everything we've been through, how did we not know about the Shadow Items before?"

"Perhaps the truth was being hidden from you," volunteered Amara. "I may not have my lens anymore, but from what you've told me, it seems as though there's no way you could have not known without someone hiding the details."

"She's right. We need to know more."

"What are you suggesting, Yugi?" asked Kaiba.

"We need to talk to the Ishtars."

"You mean…?" began Tea.

"That's right, Tea," Yugi interrupted. He turned to Kaiba. "We'll need transportation."

"Way ahead of you," said Mokuba, headset on. He paused briefly, then said into the microphone. "This is Mokuba Kaiba. Prep the jet. We're going to Egypt."

----

Apophis stood in his chamber, reviewing the duel with Yugi in his mind. He went over every step of the duel carefully, but could not figure out how he lost. "I'll get you for this, Pharaoh," he said aloud.

"Is that what you think?" said a woman's voice.

Apophis turned to see where the voice had come from. "I see you've been revived, Nephthys," he said with contempt.

Standing in the doorway to Apophis' chamber was a divinely beautiful woman. She wore a golden chest-plate, adorned with three green jewels, and a golden belt with an emerald in the front. Four golden sashes hung from the belt, the two smaller ones from her hips, and the larger from the front and back, ending just above her knees. On her arms and legs she wore golden gauntlets and boots, each with a green jewel at either the knee or elbow where they ended. Her golden hair ended just above the red cape attached to the back of her chest-plate, and she wore a golden crown with a red jewel on her forehead. Her shining emerald eyes were her most beautiful feature. In her right eye she wore the Lens of Revelation. She smiled and said, "What's wrong? Not happy to see me?"

"I don't have time for this, Nephthys," he said, turning away.

She giggled slightly as she walked further into the room and said, "Aw, the mean old reptile doesn't want to play." She threw her arms around him, leaned into his ear, and said quietly, "Guess losing to that Yugi made you cranky."

Apophis grew angry, and swung his left arm around in an attempt to knock Nephthys back, but she sidestepped the blow. "He got lucky, that's all."

She giggled again, pressing her chin to her neck and looking up at him with a smile. She raised her head and said, "Is that what you think? You're saying that the only reason you were unable to secure the sacrifice for my resurrection is because he got lucky?" She giggled again, more strongly this time.

"I got the lens, didn't I?"

"From a third rate duelist who didn't even know how to use the lens properly."

"Mock me if you will…"

"Oh I will," she interrupted cheekily.

"…but if it weren't for me you wouldn't be here now."

She smiled again. "You know as well as I do that you were just a distraction. Even if you had failed, Zorc would have come back to claim the lens another time. The Pyramid of Light was the prize today and you know it."

"Distraction or not," said Apophis, almost yelling now, "I was still a vital part of Zorc's plan."

Nephthys giggled again. "If the bad little lizard doesn't stop barking, I may have to put him down."

"That's it!" Apophis yelled. He began glowing with shadow energy, and in a flash two clones of Apophis were standing at his side.

"Aw, you're so cute!" said Nephthys, widening her smile.

"I'll show you cute!" said Apophis, ready to strike.

"Oh, please. You know you don't stand a chance against me. After all, you are the weakest of the Egyptian Gods."

"I am not!"

"Of course you are. If you want proof, then just look in your deck. There are three copies of your card. The rest of us only have one."

"There are three copies of my card because I am the only one of us who can multiply!" The two copies lunged at Nephthys.

"Believe what you will," she said, closing her eyes. She opened her eyes wide with a scowl on her face, and the lens glowed a deep red. Faster than they had appeared, the two clones vanished. Apophis scowled at her. "If that girl had known about the other abilities of the Lens of Revelation, you never would have won."

"You don't know that."

"Actually I do. In addition to seeing the truth, my lens can also dispel falsehoods, such as your clones and even your manacle's influence."

Apophis scowled, unwilling to accept this, but he let it drop and turned away. "Mark my words. I will defeat Yugi Motou."

"Not if you duel like you did last time," she said, lens still glowing. "Did you even play one trap card?"

Back still turned, he said, "I won't make that mistake again. I'll win next time."

Nephthys turned to leave. "I'll hold my breath." She smiled. "Now you be a good boy, okay?"

After Nephthys had left, Apophis said aloud, "I'll show you."

----

"Ishtar temple should be just ahead," said Mokuba, holding up a map.

"We haven't seen them in twenty years," said Tea.

"Don't worry, Tea," said Joey. "I'm sure they'll be glad to see us."

"There it is," said Mokuba, pointing ahead. The group looked to where he pointed to see an entrance to the temple of Ishtar jutting out from the side of the mountain. Standing in the entryway was none other than Marik Ishtar himself, wearing the same purple shirt and black pants that they remembered him wearing twenty years ago. As the group approached, Yugi held out his hand.

Marik took Yugi's hand and said, "Welcome, my Pharaoh. It's good to see you again."

"I feel the same way," said Yugi.

"It's a shame we couldn't meet during better times."

"Then you know what's happening."

"All too well, I'm afraid." He turned to the rest of the group. "Please come inside, and we shall discuss the matter further." He turned and led the way, and the rest of the group followed. They walked down long corridors and through great halls until they came to the living quarters of the temple. As the group followed Marik through one final doorway, they were greeted by a depressing sight. Both Ishizu and Odion lay unconscious, their souls drained from their bodies.

"What happened to 'em?" asked Joey.

"Zorc. He came here looking for the Egyptian God cards. Unfortunately for us, Odion was in possession of one of them. The Embodiment of Apophis."

"I remember now," said Mokuba. "Odion used that card against Joey back in Battle City."

"But weren't there three of that card?" asked Joey.

"Unlike the other six Egyptian God cards, more than one copy of the Embodiment of Apophis card existed. There were three copies, and all of them were in Odion's deck."

"And that's what Zorc was after," concluded Yugi.

"Yes. Ishizu and I arrived just in time to watch our friend's soul sucked into the Dagger of Fate."

"So is that when he resurrected Apophis?" asked Serenity.

"No. Zorc needed both Odion's soul as well as my sister's to secure his control over Bakura. I realized this while watching him duel Ishizu. There were times during the duel where the Bakura you know emerged, and they came quite frequently. I guess controlling Bakura was more difficult without the Millennium Ring. When Ishizu lost, however, Zorc had attained complete control."

"Why was he after Ishizu?" asked Tea

"He wasn't. She wanted to get Odion's soul back, so she challenged him. Once she lost, I challenged him for their souls, but he wouldn't duel me. He said it would be more fun to leave me grieving."

"Well it's good for us that he did." said Tristan.

"Indeed. I realized that he would need the Egyptian God cards from you, my Pharaoh, and that you would eventually come here to find me, so I waited."

"Why didn't you tell us about any of this before?" asked Kaiba.

"Since long ago, we have been the keepers of Egypt's darkest secrets, and we have kept them well. We didn't tell you because we never thought this would happen."

"But we saw you after Anubis and the Pyramid of Light appeared the first time," said Tea. "Why didn't you tell us then?"

"When we heard about that incident, we left for Japan immediately. We arrived to find Kaiba's Duel Dome being repaired and Anubis and the Pyramid of Light destroyed. We heard that the Dagger of Fate had emerged during all of this, but we couldn't find it. We assumed that it had been destroyed as well, which would have put an end to this before it happened."

"So what happened to the Dagger of Fate after that?" asked Amara.

"Zorc must have hidden it in case all his other plans failed," said Mokuba. "That way he would still be able to come back one day."

"I believe that is what happened," said Marik. "We should never have assumed that that Shadow Item was destroyed."

"Now that we've established that you screwed up," Kaiba said, "can you tell us why you didn't tell us something this important?"

"Honey, calm down," said Serenity.

"You have every right to be angry, Kaiba, but the secrets of ancient Egypt are only to be revealed when necessary. If we had told you, until this day you would have been worrying about Zorc's return. Always looking over your shoulder and worrying about the end of the world for twenty years would have ruined your lives."

"He has a point," said Tristan.

"Yes," said Yugi, "but Zorc's return has come to pass. Now is the time to reveal Egypt's secrets. We need to know everything." He looked to Ishizu, then Odion, then back to Marik. "Now."

----

Apophis and Nephthys stood in together in a great hall. At the end of the hall was a passageway leading to Zorc's private chamber. As Zorc stepped through the passageway, both Apophis and Nephthys knelt to the ground, bowing.

"Why have you summoned us, oh master?" asked Nephthys.

_Suck-up_, thought Apophis.

"I have summoned the two of you because I now have missions for you. Apophis."

"Yes, sir?"

"One of the students at Kaiba's Duel Academy unknowingly holds an Egyptian God. Go and liberate it from him."

"At once, my lord."

"Nephthys."

"Yes?"

"There is a Shadow Item hidden somewhere in Europe. With the Lens of Revelation, it should be a trivial task to find it."

"Of course."

"As for me," said Zorc, holding up the newly restored Pyramid of Light. "I have some things to take care of myself. Now go."

"We shall not fail," said Nephthys.

As the two turned to leave, Zorc spoke again. "Also, if either of you should encounter Yugi Motou, you may challenge him for his Egyptian God cards, but do not take his soul. I want that pleasure for myself."

Apophis frowned, but said, "Of course, Master Zorc."

After his servants had left, Zorc held up the Pyramid of Light and stared intently at it. "Now to claim one more Egyptian God card."

----

"At one time," said Marik, "the Egyptian Gods were the elite guards of Egypt. They protected the Pharaohs of Egypt, and defeated every threat to the empire. One day, a few months before the great Pharaoh Atem came to power, they were sent to destroy a new, menacing enemy, but they never returned. A few years later, the Egyptian Gods returned, brandishing seven artifacts that rivaled the power of the Millennium Items. Instead of protecting Egypt as they always had, they now wanted to conquer it. To this day, no one knows why the Egyptian Gods turned on Egypt, but if it hadn't been for the great and powerful Exodia, Egypt would have fallen and the world we know today would have been very different. After the Egyptian Gods had fallen, the Pharaoh Atem managed to tame the three most powerful of the spirits that the Egyptian Gods had used, and the other four were locked away."

"It must have been Zorc they were sent to defeat," said Tea.

"And Zorc must be the one who convinced them to turn on Egypt," said Serenity.

"Marik," said Yugi. "You said Exodia was what defeated them in the past, right?"

"Yes, but you shouldn't need Exodia now. You should be able to send them back to the Shadow Realm simply by defeating them in a duel."

"I'm afraid that won't work. I already defeated Apophis, and he's still standing."

"You misunderstand, my Pharaoh. I mean defeating the monster, not the warrior. If you can destroy the Egyptian God cards and reduce your opponent's life-points to zero at the same time, you should be able to send them back to the shadows."

"Thanks for the tip, Marik," said Joey, "but I suggest we keep Zorc from reviving any more Egyptian Gods. Apophis was bad enough."

"I agree," said Yugi. He turned back to Marik. "Do you know where any of the other Egyptian God cards are?"

"Ra, Obelisk, and Osiris all rest with you, my Pharaoh, and the Apophis cards that Odion possessed are already in Zorc's hands. I do not know where the Nephthys and Horus cards are, but I have heard of a duelist in America, somewhere in the northeast region, using the Anubis card."

"I guess we're going to America," said Tristan.

"Did you say Horus, Marik?" asked Mokuba with an urgent look on his face.

"Yes, Horus is one of the Egyptian Gods."

"Then we have to get to Duel Academy right away," said Mokuba. "The new Horus dorm was named after a card that one of the students owns."

Kaiba was alarmed, but he didn't let it show. "I suggest we split up. Mokuba, Serentiy, Amara, and I will go to duel academy, and you guys should head to America."

"How do we get there?" asked Tea. "We only have one jet."

"I'll have someone at Kaiba Corp fly another jet over," said Kaiba. "You can take that one when it gets here."

"I'm afraid you'll have to take that one, Kaiba," said Yugi. "We need to leave as soon as possible. All we know is that the Anubis card is somewhere in northeast America, and it's a fair bet that Zorc knows about it as well."


	7. A Tale of Two Countries

**Chapter 7**

While flying over the Atlantic Ocean in one of Kaiba Corp's planes, Yugi wondered what he would do if Zorc found the Anubis card before they could. He had already faced Anubis once in the past, and he was not looking forward to dealing with him again. As late as it was, that thought kept him awake. Unable to sleep, he decided to take a walk down to the common area of Kaiba's luxury plane. As he walked past the rooms his friends were staying in, he was relieved to hear the gentle breathing, and occasionally snoring, of those that had fallen asleep. He was grateful to know that, even during this crisis, his friends could find the sleep they needed.

"Having trouble falling asleep, my Pharaoh?" asked Marik as Yugi passed his room.

"Same to you," answered Yugi, walking into the room and taking a seat. "Why do you call me that, Marik? I am not the Pharaoh."

"You may not be the original Atem," answered Marik, "but you are his reincarnation. That is why I refer to you that way, my Pharaoh."

"That may be, but please call me Yugi. Calling me the Pharaoh reminds me of the pain I felt when I said goodbye to my friend forever."

"Very well, Yugi." Marik decided to change the subject. "You're worried about Zorc reaching the Egyptian God card first, aren't you?" Yugi nodded, but said nothing. "That's why I am unable to sleep as well. Other than the ancient thief known as Bakura, the Egyptian Gods were Zorc's most powerful warriors, and the method of their deafeat is still unknown, even to the tombkeepers."

A look of surprise crossed Yugi's face. "I thought you said that Exodia defeated the Egyptian Gods."

"That is true," said Marik, "but I left something out. As powerful as Exodia was, the one who possessed its spirit was too old and too weak to call on the full power of Exodia. In its weakened state, there was no way for Exodia to defeat all seven at once."

"Then how was Atem victorious?"

"We don't know exactly, for there is no exact record of that battle. However, all of the ancient scriptures point to Atem's original spirit being involved in the battle. All that is known about it is that it was an exact match in power for Seto's White Dragon Spirit, and that the spirit's life-force was used to tame the three Egyptian God spirits."

"Then we should try and figure out what monster it was. Maybe it will help us defeat the Egyptian Gods."

"That won't be necessary. Like Kaiba and the White Dragon, you are destined for your ancestor's monster. I believe it is already in your deck. The card to unlock its full power, however, may not be."

Yugi thought for a moment. _A card in my deck that is an exact match for the Blue-Eyes White Dragon…wait!_ Yugi pulled out his deck and flipped through the cards until he came across the card that Marik was referring to: the Black Luster Soldier. Upon touching the card he felt a strong connection to it, which he realized that he had felt every time he had ever handled the card. Yugi examined the card to find that it was indeed an exact match for the Blue-Eyes White Dragon. "This is the card," he said, showing it to Marik. "I'm sure of it."

"Then there must be a magic card to unlock its ancient power, just like the Burst Stream of Destruction card unlocks that of the White Dragon."

"We'll worry about that later," said Yugi. "Our first priority is to obtain the Anubis card before Zorc."

"Agreed," said Marik, looking out the window. "You should try to get some sleep, Yugi. We will be in America in a few hours."

----

"Where does Yugi get off telling me which of my jets to take?" asked Kaiba scornfully as he stepped down from his jet onto the ground of Kaiba Corp's airfield. Serenity laughed at this as she followed him off the jet. Not wanting to seem angry at his wife, Kaiba lightened his voice a bit. "What's so funny?"

"You knew Yugi was right the whole time, otherwise you never would have agreed to let them take the first jet. That's what makes this snit of yours so funny. You're angry at Yugi for no reason." She continued to laugh lightly as Kaiba turned his head and grunted in defeat. Serenity stopped laughing and hugged her husband. "Come on, lighten up. We're home now so it doesn't matter which jet we took."

Kaiba's anger faded and he returned his wife's smile. He ran his fingers through her hair, taking a moment to gaze at her, then looked up to the jet. "Come on, you two. We have to get to duel academy."

Mokuba emerged first, followed by a very tired Amara, stretching her arms above her head and yawning. "Sorry," said Mokuba. "Someone didn't want to get out of bed." Mokuba helped Amara down the steps, then the two walked over to Kaiba and Serenity, Amara rubbing her eyes as they walked.

"What am I going to do with you?" said Kaiba, giving his daughter a pat on the head. He then turned his gaze back to the jet. "Roland!"

Roland stuck his head out the jet's door. "Yes, Mister Kaiba?"

"Make sure there's a boat waiting to take us to Duel Academy Island." He turned to leave, then turned back. "And remind me to install a heliport on the island when this is over."

"Yes sir." Roland went back in the jet to find a radio.

"Now let's get going," Kaiba said to his family. "Zorc, or one of his minions, may already be at the academy."

----

About an hour after landing, Yugi and his friends learned of a regional level Duel Monsters tournament taking place in New York City. They decided to look there first, since a duelist in possession of an Egyptian God card would most likely be able to qualify for a tournament of that level. Over the years, Kaiba's duel disk had grown quite popular, and, as the group drove through the city, they noticed that the duel disk was being used for a city wide tournament, just like Battle City. They viewed many duels as they went, some still in progress, some just finishing. Those that lost appeared to be surrendering tournament IDs, so the group figured that the objective of the tournament was to take a certain number of opponents out of the tournament.

"Stop the car," said Joey as he eyed a specific tournament competitor. She had blond hair and wore purple leather, and her harpie monsters faded as her opponent's life-points fell to 0. The group got out of the car and walked towards the duelist.

"It's been a while, Mai," said Yugi as the group approached.

"Yugi?" said Mai, surprised, as she turned toward the group. She smiled when she saw them. "It sure has been a while. It's good to see you." She looked over the group. "Is that Marik? I haven't seen you since Battle City."

"It's good to see you, Mai," said Marik. "I'm sorry for all the trouble I caused back then."

"You apologized once, Marik," said Mai. "There's no need to apologize again." She continued to look over the group, and her eyes came to rest on Joey. A strange look crossed her face, like she was thinking of bad memories.

Joey recognized the look, and turned his head slightly to the ground as he spoke. "Hey, Mai."

"Hey," she responded sadly.

For a while, no one said anything. About fifteen years ago, Mai got tired of waiting for Joey, and she left the country to enter a dueling circuit around the world, breaking Joey's heart in the process. Truth be told, she was never the same either.

Yugi broke the silence. "I'm sorry, Mai, but we don't have time to catch up."

"Why?" asked Mai, regaining her composure. "What's going on?"

Tristan was the one to answer. "Same old story. Shadow games, world in peril, you know how it is."

"Mai," said Yugi, "do you know of any duelist in this tournament using an Anubis card?"

Mai thought for a minute. "Come to think of it, I do. A little while ago, while I was looking for opponents, a passed this one duel where a guy was using a large purple monster. He called it Anubis."

"That sounds like the Egyptian God card we're looking for," said Marik.

"Where was the duel?" asked Tea.

"It wasn't far from here. If we hurry, we may be able to catch him."

----

After arriving on Duel Academy Island, Kaiba and his family headed towards the new dorm. According to Mokuba, the student in possession of the Horus card was a Horus Black student. One of the students was leaving the dorm just as they approached. When he saw the group, he called out. "Amara!"

"Hey Darius," she responded as he walked up to the group. She turned to face her family. "Guys, this is Darius Phoenix, ranked fourth in Duel Academy. Darius, these are my parents, Seto and Serenity Kaiba, and of course you know my uncle Mokuba."

Darius nodded respectfully to Serenity and his headmaster, then he spoke to Kaiba. "Mister Kaiba, it's an honor to finally meet you." Even though just about everyone said that to Kaiba, he still acknowledged the compliment with a nod.

"Darius," said Mokuba, "we have to talk to you."

"We do?" asked Amara, looking clueless.

"Yes," answered Mokuba. "Darius is the owner of the Horus card." He turned back to Darius. "We need talk to you about your Horus card."

"No problem," said Darius. "I'll go get it."

"No," said Kaiba. "We'll all go. It's better to discuss this in private."

_Damn, _thought Apophis, watching from a distance as the group entered the dorm. _Now that they are together, I won't be able to duel him. I know Kaiba won't allow it, and I have no leverage. I must retreat for now and report to Zorc._ As he finished his thought, Apophis disappeared into thin air.

----

When the group finally found the duelist that Mai had mentioned earlier, he was already in the middle of another duel. He wore blue jeans and a black, short-sleeved shirt. He had short, dark hair and a trimmed beard, and his tournament ID hung from one of his belt-loops. The name Joe was written on the ID. On his field was a strange, blue, gel-like monster wearing golden armor. His opponent had a spider-like monster on the field. Yugi recognized the spider monster as Jirai Gumo, but he had never seen the blue monster.

"This guy is a powerful duelist," said Mai. "I haven't seen him duel, but I have been hearing rumors about him ever since I came to America. He is the best fiend duelist in this country, and some say he may be the best in the world."

"Now it's my turn," said Joe, drawing his card. "I sacrifice my Slate Warrior to summon the End of Anubis!" The blue monster was replaced by a giant, purple, half-man, half-dog monster with spikes coming out of its skin. It wore orange garments, and had a blue jewel on its forehead. The attack meter flashed 2500. "Now, Anubis, wipe out his Jirai Gumo and the rest of his life-points." Anubis complied, raising its claws up to the green jewel on the orange garment covering its chest. The jewel glowed, and a green aura surrounded the monster's claws. Anubis leapt forward, and slashed the giant spider. A green aura spread from the claw-marks on Jirai Gumo to surround its entire body, and the monster exploded in a rain of green particles. Joe's opponent fell to the ground, and his life-point meter fell to 0. Joe walked over to the duelist and held out his hand. The duelist complied and handed over his tournament ID, as well as the other two he had in his possession. When Mai saw this, a look of anger crossed her face.

"What's wrong, Mai?" asked Tea.

"That duelist I defeated before I ran into you guys. I forgot to collect his ID."

"Tournament's not over," said Tristan. "You can still get more."

"That's true. I just can't believe I forgot."

Yugi walked over to the fiend duelist. "Excuse me. Joe?"

Joe turned to see who had said his name. Though he recognized the famous duelist standing before him, his expression remained unchanged. "You must be Yugi Motou," he said. "According to your reputation, you're the best duelist in the world."

"I'm honored by the compliment," said Yugi politely. "I have a favor to ask you. We need your End of Anubis."

Joe was taken aback by this request. He had never heard of the King of Games asking for someone else's cards. "If you want my card, you'll have to duel me for it. However, it's only fair that you wager a card that's worth mine."

"How about I wager three?" said Yugi, holding up Ra, Obelisk, and Osiris.

"Your God cards?"

"That's right."

"I accept the challenge, Yugi."

"Don't waste your time," said a very evil voice.

"Zorc!" exclaimed Yugi.

"I wasn't speaking to you, Yugi," said Zorc, walking up to the group from a nearby alley. He turned back to Joe. "You may as well save time and just hand over your card. There's no way that the King of Games will lose to a second-rate fiend-user like you."

Joe grew angry at that remark. "Yugi," he said calmly. "Our duel will have to wait."

"Don't duel him," said Yugi. "It's a trap. He wants your card too."

"That may be," said Joe, "but this is about honor." He turned to Zorc, raising his duel disk. "If you think I'm second-rate, then you'll have to prove it."

A sinister smile played across Zorc's face as he raised his duel disk. "You have no idea how big a mistake you just made."

----

"I see," said Darius. "So that's why you want my card."

"You will get it back," said Kaiba. "We just need to hold onto it until this is all over."

"Actually," interjected Amara. "Why do we need to take it from him at all?"

"What do you mean?" asked Serenity.

"Darius is ranked fourth out of all of the duelists in Duel Academy. As long as we keep him from dueling an Egyptian God, he should be able to protect it himself."

"That may be," said Kaiba, "but if we are to do that, I'd like to see his skill myself." He turned to face Darius. "I'll duel you to determine whether or not you are fit to guard the Horus card."

"Dad," said Amara. "If you duel him it will be over too quickly. You won't get a chance to see what he's capable of. Let me duel him."

"I'm fine with that," said Darius, raising his disk. "We haven't dueled each other in a while anyway. You ready?"

Amara raised her duel disk before answering. "Let's duel."


	8. King of Fiends Pt 1

**Chapter 8**

"I'll start things off," said Joe, drawing six cards. "First I summon my Giant Germ in defense mode." A giant, purple, spherical germ with an orange membrane appeared on his side of the field. The defense meter flashed 100. "Then I'll place one card face-down and end my turn." His face-down card appeared as he motioned for Zorc to make his move.

Zorc drew his card. "I place two cards face-down, and then I summon Dark Lucius!!" His face-down cards appeared, followed by a humanoid monster with silver skin and an exoskeletal armor covering its body. Its red eyes glared with ferocity as the attack meter flashed 1000. "Now Dark Lucius, attack his monster." As the silver monster rushed at the germ, the claws on its right hand lengthened. It met the germ with a full strength slash from its claws, and the germ exploded.

"Impressive," said Joe, "but my giant germ has a special ability. When it's destroyed, I can replace it with two more from my deck, and you take 500 points of damage." He reached for his deck.

"I'm afraid you won't be doing that," said Zorc. "You see, any monster destroyed by my Dark Lucius cannot use its special abilities." Zorc laughed evilly at the fact that he was already in control of the duel before he even ended his first turn. "Your turn."

Joe drew his card. "I won't make the same mistake twice. I summon my Slate Warrior in attack mode." The blue, gel-like monster that Joe had on the field during his last duel appeared, and the attack meter flashed 1900. "Next I activate Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy one of your face-down cards." A swirling typhoon surrounded one of Zorc's face-down cards and ripped it to shreds. "Now I'll have Slate Warrior destroy your Dark Lucius." The Slate Warrior began shifting its right arm, like liquid taking shape in a mold, until it formed a blade. It then lunged at the fiend.

"Not so fast," said Zorc. "I activate my trap card." He raised the card. "Bark of Dark Ruler. It allows one of my fiends to reduce one of your monsters' attack points. Now I'll give up 1000 life-points so my dark Lucius can reduce your monster's attack by 1000 points." Zorc's life-points fell to 3000, and his Dark Lucius roared loudly. The attack points of the Slate Warrior dropped from 1900 to 900 as it continued its attack, bringing its blade down on the Dark Lucius. The fiend caught the blade in its left hand and, extending its claws, slashed the Slate Warrior with its right hand, destroying it. Joe's life-points fell to 3900.

"I guess that means I hit the wrong card with my Typhoon."

"No," said Zorc. "The one you destroyed would still have destroyed your monster, but it would have done much damage than this one."

"I was afraid of this," said Yugi.

"Afraid of what,Yugi?" asked Mai. "Joe's winning this duel."

"No," said Yugi, "he's not. Look at the expression on Zorc's face." The group turned to see what Yugi was talking about. Zorc was smiling wickedly. His expression was that of confidence and superiority. "Joe may have more life-points, but Zorc is in control. He didn't activate that trap to destroy Joe's monster. He used it to save his own. That Dark Lucius must have another ability, because, with all of the fiends in his deck, he wouldn't have given up 1000 life-points to save that monster if it only had that one effect. Joe may be the best fiend duelist in America, but Zorc is the very source of the Shadow Games. His power over fiend monsters is unrivaled. He may last for a while, but Joe lost this duel the second he accepted it."

----

I hope you don't mind if I make the first move," said Amara, drawing her cards. "I'll start by playing the White Dragon Ritual. I'll sacrifice my Dragon Dwelling in the Cave to summon the Paladin of White Dragon." The knight riding the white dragon appeared on her side of the field. The attack meter flashed 1900. "Next I'll sacrifice it to summon the Blue-Eyes White Dragon from my deck." Her previous monster vanished, and the majestic white dragon took its place. The attack meter flashed 3000. "Next I'll summon my Spear Dragon and end my turn." A long-nosed dragon with wings for arms appeared on her field. Blue scales covered most of its body. Its beige underside, however, was bare. The attack meter once again flashed 1900.

"Someone's in a hurry," said Darius, drawing his card. "I've never seen you be that reckless, and, believe me, it will cost you. I activate the magic card Lightning Vortex. By discarding one card from my hand, I can destroy every face-up monster on your side of the field." He looked at his hand. "I think I'll discard Destiny Hero-Dasher." He discarded the card. "Now your Dragons are destroyed." A vortex opened in the sky, and two bolts of lightning shot from it, one for each monster. When they struck, the dragons were vaporized.

"Lucky draw," said Amara, slightly angry.

"Next I'll summon Destiny Hero-Fear Monger in attack mode." The monster that appeared on his side of the field looked like a cross between a man and a jet plane. Its body was covered in gray and jungle green paint. It had wings on its back, and its right arm formed the nose of the plane, twisted into a cannon. Its left hand ended in sharp claws. The attack meter flashed 1000. "Now I'll have it attack you directly." The monster raised its right arm, clutching it with its left hand, and fired a missile at Amara. When it connected, it exploded, knocking Amara to the ground. Her life-point meter fell from 4000 to 3000. "Next I place a card face-down and end my turn."

As Amara got to her feet, she turned to face her father. "I really have to talk to you about the realism of these holograms." She rubbed the back of her head. "That hurt." She turned back to Darius. "Guess I made a mistake with my first move." She said, drawing her card. "I'll fix it soon enough."

----

"My move," said Zorc, drawing his card. "Now to reveal my monster's other ability. At the beginning of each of my turns, its strength increases." As he said this, the exoskeleton covering Dark Lucius proceeded to cover every inch of its body. Six long appendages grew from its shoulders, and arranged themselves like a cape over his back. The monster's face was even more fearsome than before, and it now clutched a sword, glowing with dark energy. The attack meter flashed 1700.

"So that's it," said Yugi. "An evolving monster."

"Evolving?" asked Joey.

"Yes, Joey. It's just like my Silent Swordsman and Silent Magician. For each turn it remains on the field, it grows stronger. However, like every evolving monster, it has a limit. I just wish I knew what its limit was."

"I get it now," said Joey. "So that monster'll get stronger next turn?"

"Exactly," said Yugi. "Hopefully Joe can destroy it before then."

"Now I'll place a card face-down, and attack you with Dark Lucius." Zorc's monster raised its sword and ran forward. As it brought its sword, it connected with something other than Joe. The sheep was destroyed instantly, but Zorc could see three more on Joe's field. "So that was your face-down card," said Zorc as his monster returned.

"That's right. Just before your monster struck, I activated my face-down Scapegoat."

"It saved your life-points," said Zorc, "but it won't save you from losing this duel. Go ahead and make your move."

Joe drew his card. "I place one card face-down, and then I summon the Exiled Force." Five soldiers appeared on Joe's side of the field, each wearing battered armor and clutching a different weapon. They had evil smiles on their faces. The attack meter flashed 1000. "Now by sacrificing my Exiled Force, I can destroy one monster on the field. So I'll sacrifice them to destroy your Dark Lucius." The five warriors began advancing on the Dark Lucius.

"Activate face-down card," said Zorc, raising the card. "Fiend's Manipulation. If you designate one of my level six or higher fiends as a target, I can redirect the effect at a target of my choosing, and it just so happens that Dark Lucius is currently a level six monster." The Dark Lucius became surrounded by a dark aura, and as Zorc spoke, so did his monster. "Exiled Force, destroy one of Joe's sheep instead of the fiend standing before you." The warriors looked at each other in contemplation, smiled, then turned and surrounded one of the sheep tokens. They all rushed at it simultaneously, and as they struck it with their weapons, they struck each other as well. In a flash, all six monsters were destroyed at once.

"I've never seen that card before," said Joe.

"Of course you haven't. My deck contains horrors you've never dreamed of even in your worst nightmares." Zorc drew his card. "Now it's my turn, and my Dark Lucius grows even stronger." His monster changed again. His armor grew thicker, his sword grew larger, and his face became that of a beast. A black membrane began to grow from the six appendages on its back, forming six black wings. The demon roared fiercely as the attack meter flashed 2800. "Now I summon the Winged Minion in attack mode." A small, blue monster appeared on his field. It had small wings and a vertical mouth with four sharp teeth, and it wore a burgundy cloth around its waist. The attack meter flashed 700. "Now I'll set a card face-down, and attack your sheep tokens with my monsters." The Winged Minion bit one of the sheep while Dark Lucius brought his sword down on the other. Zorc smiled as the tokens were destroyed. "Now I sacrifice my Winged Minion to give Dark Lucius an extra 700 attack and defense points." The Winged Minion became a swirl of dark energy and melded itself with Dark Lucius. The attack meter rose to 3500 and the defense meter rose to 1600. "There's nothing you can do. Soon you will lose, and another Egyptian God card will be mine!"

----

Amara examined her hand. Her mistake in the first turn had left her crippled, but she was sure she could find a way to come back from it. "I activate Monster Reborn to bring back my Blue-Eyes White Dragon." The great beast once again stood on her side of the field. The attack meter flashed 3000. "Now, Blue-Eyes, destroy his Fear Monger. White Lightning attack!" The dragon opened its jaws and let loose a burst of lightning on the Destiny Hero, destroying it. Shockwaves blew past Darius as his life-points fell to 2000. When the smoke cleared, two monsters were standing where Fear Monger had been. One was Destiny Hero-Dasher. It was a silver, humanoid machine with wheels on its feet and wrists. The attack meter flashed 2100. The other was Destiny Hero-Defender. The giant stone golem was on its knees, covering its face in defense position. The defense meter flashed 2700. "Where did those monsters come from?"

Darius looked shocked at Amara's incomprehension. "Don't you know my deck at all? Destiny Hero-Dasher was revived from my graveyard when Fear Monger was destroyed, at which point I activated Destiny Signal to summon Destiny Hero-Defender from my deck. I've used this combo on you hundreds of times. I'm surprised you didn't see it coming."

"She's going easy on him," said Serenity. "Should she be doing that if she wants to show you his skill?"

"She's not going easy on him," responded Kaiba. "Look at her face. She's trying as hard as she can."

"But she's never made this many mistakes in one duel."

"Her skill has decreased dramatically since she lost to Apophis," said Kaiba, growing angry. "When I find out what that snake did to her, he's gonna pay."

"I end my turn."

"I draw," said Darius, drawing his card, "and then I activate Destiny Hero-Dasher's special ability. By sacrificing a monster, I can increase its attack power by 1000 points until the end of the turn." Destiny Hero-Defender became enveloped by a swirling wind and vanished from the field. Destiny Hero-Dasher began to glow, and the attack meter rose from 2100 to 3100. "Now, Destiny Hero-Dasher, destroy her Blue-Eyes!" The monster's wheels began to spin rapidly, but it did not move from its position. Once the wheels were moving fast enough to generate smoke, the monster took off, moving straight at the Blue-Eyes. It raised its front wheels to collide with the dragon, destroying it on contact. Amara's life-points dropped to 2900 as she blocked the shockwaves. Destiny Hero-Dasher switched to defense mode upon returning to its owner's side of the field. The defense meter flashed 1000. "When Destiny Hero-Dasher attacks, it must switch to defense mode at the end of the Battle Phase. So I'll now sacrifice it to summon Destiny Hero-Double Dude." The monster that replaced Destiny Hero-Dasher was a man wearing a black suit. He wore a black, wide-rimmed hat and a light-purple scarf around his neck, obscuring his face. He clutched a staff in his right hand. The attack meter flashed 1000. "That ends my turn."

Amara drew her card. "I summon my Twin-Headed Behemoth in attack mode." The two-headed, purple dragon appeared on her side of the field, and the attack meter flashed 1500. "Now I'll have it attack your Double Dude." The dragon raised both heads and released a stream of fire from each mouth, engulfing the Destiny Hero in flames and destroying it. As Darius' life-points fell to 1500, two monsters appeared on his field. One was identical to the Double Dude, but the other was a green, muscular, humanoid beast with long, blue hair. Both attack meters flashed 1000.

"Unfortunately for you, when Double Dude is destroyed, its two personalities separate and take their place on the field."

"I know that," said Amara, "but now they are just tokens with no effects, and neither of them is strong enough to destroy my Behemoth."

"That may be," said Darius, drawing his card, "but I have others. Now I'll activate Destiny Hero-Dasher's last effect. Once, while he's in the graveyard, if I draw a monster, I can special summon it immediately." He showed Amara the card he drew. It was the Destiny Hero-Fear Monger. "So now I summon my Destiny Hero-Fear Monger in attack mode." The monster appeared and the attack meter flashed 1000. Next I'll sacrifice Destiny Hero-Fear Monger and my two tokens to summon Destiny Hero-Dogma!!" As his three monsters vanished, an enormous monster appeared on his side of the field. Its bat-like wings were each nearly twice the size of its body, and spikes jutted from most of its jungle green and gray-brown limbs. Two silver horns adorned the sides of its forehead, and a massive blade extended from its right wrist. The attack meter flashed 3400. "Now he'll destroy your monster." Dogma pulled back its right arm and flew forward. As it approached the Behemoth, it thrust its arm forward, skewering the dragon on its blade. As the dragon exploded, Amara's life-points dropped to 1000. "Next I'll set a card face-down and end my turn." As his card appeared, so did the Behemoth. The defense meter flashed 1000.

"At least I have a defense." As Amara drew her card, her life-points fell to 500. Amara smiled and said, "I'd forgotten that my life-points are cut in half during the turn after you summon Dogma." She looked at her hand. "I summon a monster in defense mode and end my turn."

Kaiba was at the perfect angle to see the mistake Amara had made. _No, Amara, _he thought. _That card's effect doesn't activate if it's face-down._

Darius drew his card. "Now I'll have Dogma attack your face-down monster." As Dogma thrust its sword into the face-down monster, Darius saw that the destroyed monster was the Neo-Spacian Grand Mole. When Darius saw this, he said something that surprised everyone. "Stop the duel!"

----

"My move," said Joe, drawing his card. "I set a monster in defense mode and a card face-down, and end my turn." The cards appeared as Zorc drew his card.

"You think I'm a fool? I activate the magic card Heavy Storm! This destroys every magic and trap card on the field." A great whirlwind swept the field, engulfing the three magic and trap cards on it and destroying them. "Now Dark Lucius, destroy his face-down monster." Dark Lucius swung its sword and sliced the face-down Sangan in half.

"Thanks for destroying my Sangan," said Joe. "Now I can select one monster from my deck with 1500 attack points or less and add it to my hand."

"Did you forget? My Dark Lucius negates any effects of the monsters it destroys. Also, since it has reached its strongest form, any monster it destroys is removed from the game permanently!" Joe frowned in anger. Zorc noticed this and smiled. "I told you that you were second-rate. Now I'll summon Protector of the Sanctuary in defense mode." A blue monster made entirely of dark energy appeared on his side of the field. Its body was made up of a pattern of Egyptian symbols. The defense meter flashed 1900. "As long as this monster remains on the field, you cannot draw cards from your deck except for during your draw phase. Now I'll activate Card Destruction. This forces us to discard our hands and draw new ones. However, since you cannot draw, you must discard your hand and get nothing in return. Of course, since that was my last card, I don't get any new cards either, but with two monsters on my side of the field and nothing to stand in their way, this duel is over!"


	9. King of Fiends Pt 2

**Chapter 9**

Joe knew he was in trouble. He had no cards, and Zorc's Dark Lucius was ready to attack. If he didn't draw the right card, he would lose. He stared at his deck, praying it would help him keep his rarest card.

"Hurry up and make your move," said Zorc.

Joe glared at Zorc as he drew his card. He let out a sigh of relief when he saw it. "I activate Swords of Revealing Light." As he played the card, swords of golden light rained down from the sky, surrounding Zorc's monsters. "Now you can't attack me for three turns."

"Lucky draw," said Zorc, drawing his card, "but it will only save you for three turns. Now I place a card face-down, and end my turn."

Joe drew his card. "I activate Brain Control. This allows me to take control of one of your monsters. Now your Dark Lucius is mine." Zorc's Dark Lucius moved across the field, and turned to face Zorc, ready to attack him. "Now Dark Lucius, destroy his Protector of the Sanctuary." The Dark Lucius flew towards the other monster, bringing its sword down on it. Its target destroyed, the Dark Lucius returned to Joe's side of the field. "Thanks to your Dark Lucius, the Protector of the Sanctuary is gone for good. That ends my turn." As Joe said this, the Dark Lucius returned to its master.

Zorc smiled as he drew his card. He had not expected a duel like this from another fiend duelist, and he was going to enjoy every second of it. "I'll pass my turn."

As Joe drew, he couldn't help but wonder why Zorc was smiling. "I summon my Spirit Reaper in defense mode." A small skeleton wearing a purple robe appeared on his side of the field. It clutched a scythe in its hands, using the blade to protect its face. The defense meter flashed 200.

"Ah," said Zorc, "the indestructible Spirit Reaper." He turned his gaze from the reaper to Joe. "Just how long do you intend to stall?" He drew his card. "I'll place a card face-down, and end my turn."

As Joe drew his card, the golden swords around Zorc's monsters faded. "I activate the magic card Snatch Steal. This allows me to take permanent control of one of your monsters. Now you're Dark Lucius is mine once again." Zorc's face-down cards worried Joe, but he put them out of his mind as he launched his attack. "Now Dark Lucius, attack his life-points and end this duel." The fiend raised its sword and rushed at Zorc.

"You think it's that easy?" said Zorc. "I activate my trap card." He raised one of his cards. "Really Eternal Rest. This card destroys all monsters that are equipped with magic or trap cards, and, unfortunately for you, Snatch Steal is an equip card." The Dark Lucius stopped its attack as it was enveloped in a white aura. It screamed in agony as its body dissolved into nothing. Zorc smiled with confidence and said, "Is that all you can do? Attack me with my own monsters and hope they aren't stopped?"

"At least your Dark Lucius is gone."

"You think I care about one fiend? I have many, much more powerful fiends in my deck." Zorc drew his card. "First I'll summon my Archfiend Soldier in attack mode." An armored, purple, humanoid monster appeared on Zorc's side of the field. Sharp spikes adorned the joints of its armor, and its horns curved under like those of a ram. Light reflected off its sharp claws, and its green cape hung down to just above its ankles. The attack meter flashed 1900. "And then I'll have it attack your Spirit Reaper." The soldier rushed forward, slashing at the reaper with its right hand. Its claws were met by the reaper's scythe, and, as strong as it was, the soldier's attack could not break through the reaper's strong defense. Finally, the soldier broke the connection and jumped back to Zorc's side of the field.

"What was that supposed to accomplish?" asked Joe. "You knew that wouldn't destroy my reaper."

"That's true," responded Zorc, "but I had to attack it in order to activate this." He revealed the card in his hand. "It's a magic card known as Fatal Wounds. It allows me to destroy one monster that battled this turn." As he activated the card, claw marks appeared on the reaper's robe at the spot where its scythe blocked the soldier's claws. The reaper then shattered, and Joe was once again left with no cards. "You may have escaped defeat once, but I doubt you'll be able to do it twice. Now draw your last card so I can end this duel."

----

"Why did you stop the duel, Darius?" asked Amara.

"Isn't it obvious?" said Darius. "You're dueling like you haven't even graduated from Osiris Red. Even if you are going easy on me, this is ridiculous!"

"But I'm not!" said Amara, slightly hurt by the Osiris Red remark. "I'm not trying to go easy on you. I'm dueling the best I can!"

Kaiba, still angry at Apophis, stepped forward to examine the two cards left in Amara's hand. When he saw them, he grew even angrier, though he barely let it show. "Amara," he said, grabbing one of the cards, "how long were you holding this card?"

"It was in my opening hand," she responded.

Upon hearing this, Kaiba nearly lost it. "You were holding Burst Stream of Destruction since the beginning and you didn't activate it?! You practically handed him his whole strategy for that duel when you didn't use it to destroy Fear Monger!" Kaiba's yelling had driven his daughter to near tears. When he saw her face, he calmed down and embraced her. "I'm sorry, Amara. I didn't mean to yell. I'm just so angry at Apophis for doing this to you." He turned to face Darius. "Amara's decrease in skill aside, you do have some skill. I could see that your rank of fourth in Duel Academy was no accident."

"Thank you for the compliment, Mister Kaiba," Darius said, somewhat awkwardly. He brushed his black, shoulder-length hair out of his face before continuing. "My cousin taught me how to duel."

"Then you're cousin must also be quite skilled," said Kaiba. After thinking for a moment, he added, "I guess you can guard the card." He turned back to Amara. "In the meantime, we need to figure out what that snake did to you."

"I agree with that," said Darius. "Amara and I joined the academy around the same time, and have been good friends ever since. I don't enjoy seeing her like this. She's the duelist that went from Osiris Red freshman to top-ranked Horus faster than any student in the history of the academy. She even started wearing that lens to let people know they were facing the best. Then she got the Blue-Eyes White Dragons and became unstoppable. She was so good that no one but the Horus Black students ever wanted to chal…"

"Wait," said Kaiba, interrupting. "What did you say?"

"What?" asked Darius, confused.

"The lens," said Kaiba, turning to face Amara. "You were wearing that lens the day you finally defeated me in a duel. You never even came close before that." He thought back, and a look of anger once again crossed his face. "And you didn't graduate from Osiris Red until after you got that lens!" Kaiba was very close to pure rage at this point. "Am I to understand that my daughter is a top-ranked duelist because of a piece of magical jewelry?!!"

"No, that's not it!" Amara argued desperately. "It just improved my judgment a little. The rest was me. I swear!"

"There's no way that improving your judgment could have made you that much better." Kaiba looked at his daughter's face. "Don't lie to me again!"

"But I…"

"Not another word." He looked down at her deck. "You deserve to have the Blue-Eyes White Dragons taken from you. After all, you never really earned them." Tears started to stream down Amara's face, but she remained silent. "After all of this is over, I'll decide what to do about you." Serenity went to comfort her daughter as Kaiba turned back to Darius. Though he was still angry with Amara, he calmed himself to speak to Darius. "I'm trusting you to keep that card safe. Don't let it out of your sight."

"Don't worry," said Darius. "I won't."

"Good," said Kaiba. "As long as we have that card, Zorc can't accomplish his goals."

"Which means we'll need to be careful," said Mokuba. "Zorc will probably do anything to get his hands on that card."

----

"My move," said Joe, drawing his card. "I end my turn."

"Looks like I was right," said Zorc, drawing. "Now I sacrifice my Archfiend Soldier to summon the Dark Ruler!" A green-skinned, humanoid monster appeared on Zorc's side of the field. It wore blue and gold robes, and a skull-shaped breastplate. Connecting the breastplate to the robes was a purple face, contorted into a look of pain and complete despair. Two great horns extended from the sides of its head, and it clutched a wine glass in its left hand. The attack meter flashed 2450. "Now I'll attack your life-points directly." The Dark Ruler drank the wine it was holding, reared back its head, and spit out a stream of fire directly at Joe. The fire collided with a wall of small, brown, furry creatures, halting the attack. Zorc frowned and said, "I can't believe I thought a fiend duelist would leave himself defenseless. I should have known you were holding Kuriboh."

"Whether you had known or not," said Joe, "you still would have attacked. My move." He drew his card. "Now I activate Pot of Avarice. By returning five monsters from my graveyard to my deck, I can draw two new cards. So now I'll return Spirit Reaper, Giant Germ, Slate Warrior, Exiled Force, and Kuriboh to my deck and draw my cards." He took the cards from his graveyard, shuffled them into his deck, then drew two new cards. "Next I'll place a card face-down, and summon Slate Warrior in defense mode." His monster appeared, and the defense meter flashed 400. "That ends my turn."

"My turn," said Zorc, drawing. "Now I'll attack your Slate Warrior with my Dark Ruler." The fiend let loose another stream of fire, destroying the Slate Warrior. "That ends my turn."

Joe drew. "I summon another Slate Warrior in defense mode and end my turn." The monster appeared and the defense meter flashed 400.

"First I'll draw," said Zorc, drawing, "and then I'll summon my Twin-Headed Wolf in attack mode." A grotesque wolf appeared on his side of the field. It had two heads, coated in pink fur. Its torso was covered in yellow fur, and its two tails were covered with purple fur. Its two heads howled as the attack meter flashed 1500.

"Thank you for summoning that monster," said Joe. "Now I can activate my face-down card." He raised the card. "Torrential Tribute. This card destroys every monster on the field." A raging cyclone of water appeared on the field, moving as though it was alive. It engulfed the Slate Warrior, Dark Ruler, and Twin-Headed Wolf, and when it settled, the field was bare except for Zorc's face-down card.

"I commend you for lasting this long," said Zorc, smiling, "but the fun's about to end. Make your move."

When Zorc said this, Yugi noticed something in his expression, and a look of realization crossed his face. "It can't be!"

"What is it Yugi?" asked Tristan.

"I couldn't see it because he was dueling at the same skill level as the last time I fought him!"

"What didn't you see, Yugi?" asked Marik.

"Zorc," said Yugi. "He's toying with Joe."

"What?!" said Mai and Joey in unison.

"How can you tell?" asked Tristan.

"His face-down card. It's been on the field for nearly half the duel. Nearly every situation he could need a face-down card for has come up, and yet he still has not used it. Also, he's been playing his fiends recklessly ever since his Dark Lucius was destroyed. I thought his skill was the same as when we last saw him, but I was wrong. Zorc is now stronger than any enemy we could have possibly imagined."

----

Apophis sat in his chamber, contemplating how he would get the card from Darius now that he had joined up with Kaiba and his family. As he thought, he heard extremely light footsteps behind him. Without turning, he said, slightly annoyed, "Hello Nephthys."

The goddess, failing in her attempt to surprise him, crossed her arms and began to pout. "You always spoil my fun."

"Not always," he said, turning. "I take it you claimed the item?" Nephthys smiled, holding up an Amulet adorned with the shadow symbol. "That's just great."

Nephthys smiled again, realizing that she had once again bested her reptilian comrade. "You failed to get the card, didn't you?"

"I didn't fail," said Apophis.

The Lens of Revelation began to glow in Nephthys' right eye, and she abandoned her playful nature. "No," she said. "No you didn't fail. You can't fail if you don't try." The lens stopped glowing. "The Kaiba family beat you there, didn't they?"

"That never fails to creep me out. You're not reading my mind, and yet you know exactly what happened."

"I see only the truth." She reverted to being playful, and sat on his lap with one arm around his shoulders. "So what ya gonna tell Zorc?"

"Get off me," he said, pushing her away. "I don't know. I know I could get the card if I could just duel him. With my manacle, I could take them all on and win."

"Then what's the problem?"

"It's Kaiba. He knows what I look like, and the power I wield. He wouldn't let any of them duel me even if I bet all three of my cards. I can't get near them." He paused, looking at Nephthys. Then he had an idea. "But you can."

"Excuse me?"

"They've never seen you. A little shadow magic combined with your childish attitude, and you'll easily be able to trick them into dueling you."

"Sounds interesting," said Nephthys, forming a wicked smile. "But only if you ask nicely."

Apophis groaned, standing. "I don't have time for this."

"Fine," said Nephthys, examining her fingernails. "Then I'll just let you explain to Zorc why you chickened out on your assignment."

"That's not what happened and you know it."

"Oh I know it, but that's the story Zorc will hear."

"And why would he believe you?"

"I see the truth, remember?"

"Fine," said Apophis, defeated. "Just help me."

"Say it," she said cheerfully.

"Nephthys, will you help me?" He couldn't believe the words were coming out of his mouth. "Please?"

----

"I draw," said Joe, "and then I summon my Giant Germ in defense mode." The germ appeared, and the defense meter flashed 100. "That ends my turn."

Zorc drew his card, and smiled. "Now I'll remove the Dark Ruler, Dark Lucius, and Winged Minion to summon my Dark Necrofear!" The monster that appeared on his side of the field was a bald woman with blue skin. Her appearance was doll-like, and her torso was formed by a metal frame. She wore a metal chest-plate, and purple boots that extended nearly to the top of her legs. Her left arm was covered by a purple glove that extended above her elbow, and she clutched a broken doll in her left hand. The attack meter flashed 2200 as she opened her yellow eyes. "I'm done fooling around. Now the real shadow game is about to begin!"


	10. King of Fiends Pt 3

**Chapter 10**

"In just a few more turns," said Zorc, "this duel will end. Now I summon my Headless Knight in attack mode." A suit of armor with no head appeared on his side of the field. Blue jewels adorned its armor at the joints, and it wore a red cape and held a sword and shield. The attack meter flashed 1450. "Next I'll have my Dark Necrofear attack your Giant Germ." Laser beams shot from the Dark Necrofear's eyes and destroyed the germ. When the smoke cleared, there were two Giant Germs where the first one had been. The defense meter flashed 100 for both of them.

"As I said before," said Joe, "when my germ is destroyed, two from my deck take its place, and you lose 500 life-points." Zorc's life-points fell to 2500.

"I'm well aware of your card's effects. In fact, I'm counting on them. Now I'll have my Headless Knight destroy one more of your germs." The knight lunged forward, bringing its sword down on the germ. It exploded, and Zorc's life-point meter dropped to 2000. "Now with one monster left, there is only one way you can win. I end my turn."

As Joe put his hand on his deck, ready to draw his next card, he felt something new. A feeling of unrivaled power flowed through him as he pulled the card from his deck. "Now I'll sacrifice my Giant Germ to summon this." As the germ vanished, a giant, humanoid jackal took its place. The purple monster wore orange cloth around its waist, and an orange, frilled necklace extended across its chest, a scarab-shaped emerald as its focal point. It knelt so that its clawed hands supported its weight, and it had purple spines extending from its elbows and shoulders. Two sharp, hooked appendages extended from its collarbone, one on either side of its neck, and a blue gem sat atop its forehead. It let out a howl, a sound that made every person within a ten mile radius cringe in fear, and the attack meter flashed 2500. "The End of Anubis!!"

"Maybe Joe can win this after all," said Tea. "He just summoned his Egyptian God card."

"Maybe," said Yugi, "but I have a feeling that summoning that card was exactly what Zorc wanted him to do."

"What do you mean, Yug'?" asked Joey.

"He still doesn't want the duel to end to quickly. Though he's getting serious, Zorc still wants to enjoy the duel."

"So, you finally managed to summon your God card," said Zorc. "I was wondering what was taking you so long. Now go ahead and attack."

"I will. Anubis, attack his Dark Necrofear with Purgatory Flash!!" The emerald scarab on the God's chest began to glow, and the hooked appendages on its collar became charged with green energy. Two small beams shot from the appendages, connected with each other, and began pulsating with energy. After a few seconds, a wide burst of green energy shot forth, enveloping the Dark Necrofear. When it cleared, the Necrofear was gone, and Zorc's life-points fell to 1700.

"Impressive," said Zorc. "Normally, destroying the Dark Necrofear creates the Dark Sanctuary, but thanks to your God card, all effects that would activate in the graveyard are negated. Also, as long as it's on the field, the graveyard cannot be affected in any way." He drew his card. "You continue to surprise me. You claim to be a first-rate duelist, but the only thing you've done throughout this entire duel is play into my hands. Everything you've done has been exactly what I wanted you to do. Now watch as I make you pay for your mistakes. I activate the magic card Creature Swap. This magic card allows me to give you control of one of my monsters in exchange for one of yours, and since we each only have one monster, you get my Headless Knight, and I gain control of your God." The Headless Knight and End of Anubis walked across the field to stand before their new masters. "Now, Anubis, wipe out the Headless Knight." The God let loose another burst of green energy that obliterated the knight, and Joe's life-point meter dropped from 3900 to 2850. "Now that I have your God card, there's no way you can possibly win this duel. Now make your last move, so I can make mine."

----

"I'd say I've done an excellent job," said Apophis. "They'll never figure out who you are until it's too late." He stepped back to admire his work. Nephthys stood before him, wearing the uniform of an Osiris Red Duel Academy student. Her shadow disk was now disguised as a Duel Academy duel disk. While the upper half of the uniform fit her perfectly, the skirt she was wearing extended only about halfway down the upper-half of her legs, and she was trying to pull it down lower.

"I feel silly in this," she said, giving up on covering her legs.

"Well then you should get used to wearing it. We're just lucky that my power of deception was able to conjure this. If I didn't know you, I'd swear you attended that school."

"Yeah, well you do know me, so you know that I hate this." She looked down at herself, then looked back up at Apophis with fresh embarrassment. "Get me out of this outfit."

"Maybe I'm enjoying the fact that you hate this," said Apophis. More seriously, he said, "Look, this is the only way to get our hands on that God card. Unless you want to feel Zorc's wrath, you'll get used to this." He stepped forward and reached his left hand out towards her hair.

"What are you doing?" she asked, backing away.

"One final touch," he said, sliding her hair over her right eye. "You can't let them see the lens. If they see that, the whole plan falls apart."

"Fine," she said, adjusting the skirt again. "I'll get the card, but you owe me for this."

----

"My move," said Joe, drawing. "I'll summon one final Slate Warrior and end my turn." The blue monster appeared in defense mode, and the defense meter flashed 400.

"Is that all?" said Zorc, drawing his card. "I summon my Gross Ghost of Fled Dreams in attack mode." The monster that appeared on his side of the field was a yellow-green specter with ghostly, purple hair, surrounded by a white aura. It clutched a brown shield in one hand, and a saber in the other. The attack meter flashed 1300. "Next I'll have my ghost attack your Slate Warrior." The ghost slashed the blue monster in half, then returned to Zorc's side of the field.

"Oh, no!" said Yugi. "Now that his Slate Warrior is gone, he's open to a direct attack from Anubis!"

"Now, Anubis, attack directly with Purgatory Flash!!" On Zorc's command, Anubis fired yet another burst of green energy, this time engulfing Joe in its blast. When it cleared, Joe was still standing, but his life-point meter had fallen to 350.

"This duel's not over," he said, drawing.

"Maybe not yet, but it will be soon."

"We'll see." He looked at his card. "I place one card face-down, and end my turn."

"I draw," said Zorc, drawing, "and then I place a card face-down and switch my ghost to defense mode." The ghost floated lower to the ground, and moved its shield in front of it. "Now I'll end this duel. Anubis, wipe out the rest of his life-points!" Anubis charged up his power, and released the burst of green energy once again.

"Not so fast," said Joe, raising his face-down card. "I activate the trap card Mirror Force." The burst of energy from Anubis was consumed by the light of Mirror Force, which proceeded to vaporize Anubis. "Now that I've destroyed the God card, you'll have to think of another way to defeat me." Zorc began to laugh at Joe's statement. "What's so funny?"

He stopped laughing, but the evil grin never left his face. "You haven't beaten my strategy. In fact, I wanted you to destroy Anubis."

"You're bluffing," said Joe. "Why would you want to lose the God card?"

"Have you forgotten already? My Dark Necrofear was sent to the graveyard a few turns ago, but Anubis prevented me from using its effect. Now that it's gone, my Dark Sanctuary will cover the field!" The air around the duel became a mixture of brown, orange, and red, and several eyes and fanged mouths appeared around them. An invisible ghost began circling Zorc, ready to possess a monster. "Next I'll sacrifice my Gross Ghost of Fled Dreams in order to maintain the use of my Sanctuary." The monster disappeared into the air around it. "That ends my turn."

"This is bad," said Yugi. "That Dark Sanctuary nearly beat me in Battle City, and if I'm right, one of those face-down cards is Dark Spirit of the Silent."

"Let's hope your wrong," said Marik. "If you're right, then we've lost an Egyptian God card."

Joe drew his card. "I summon Don Zaloog in attack mode." Joe's new monster was a man with purple, shoulder-length hair. It wore red-and-white wrist garments, a grey, tight, sleeveless shirt, and an eye-patch over its right eye. It had a tattoo on its right arm, and held a pistol in each hand. The attack meter flashed 1400. The ghost circling Zorc left his side and possessed the newly summoned monster. "Fortunately, I know of the effect of Dark Sanctuary, so I'll end my turn."

"I had hoped you would attack me, but I guess you're too smart for that." He drew his card. "I'll summon my Portait's Secret in attack mode." A painting of a man appeared on his side of the field, with a brownish-green ghost sticking out of it. The attack meter flashed 1200. "Now I'll sacrifice it to maintain my Dark Sanctuary." The monster disappeared. "I end my turn."

"With only one monster on my side of the field," said Joe, drawing, "your ghost is forced to possess my Don Zaloog. Now I summon my Goblin Elite Attack Force in attack mode." A group of goblins appeared on Joe's side of the field. Each carried a long-sword and wore gold and silver armor. The attack meter flashed 2200. "Since my new monster could not be possessed by your ghost, it's free to attack you directly."

"No," said Yugi. "If he attacks, Zorc will win the duel."

"Now, Goblin Elite Attack Force, attack him directly and end this duel." The goblins attacked in unison, rushing at Zorc with their swords held forward.

Zorc smiled. "You fell right into my trap. Reveal face-down card." He raised one of his cards. "Dark Spirit of the Silent!"

"What?!" said Joe.

"No!" said Yugi and Marik.

"He lost," said Mai.

"My trap card negates your attack and forces another of your monsters to attack. Now your possessed Don Zaloog is forced to attack me." The goblins halted their attack and returned to Joe's side of the field. His Don Zaloog then proceeded to raise its guns. "Now, Don Zaloog," said Zorc, "attack me!" The Don Zaloog pulled the triggers on its guns, but they did not fire. Instead, the ghost of Dark Sanctuary flew out from inside the gun-wielding monster and slammed into Joe. "Now half of your monster's attack points are subtracted from your life-points, and mine are increased by the same amount." As Zorc's life-point meter rose to 2400, Joe's life-points fell to zero. As the holograms faded, Yugi saw that Zorc still had his face-down card. Zorc smiled. "Now your card belongs to me." He walked over to Joe in order to claim the prizes for his victory. "But that's not my only prize. I also claim…" Zorc reached into his coat and retrieved the Dagger of Fate. "…your soul!" In a flash of light, Joe's soul was absorbed by the Dagger of Fate. His body fell to the ground, lifeless. Zorc reached for the God card.

"Stop right there, Zorc!" said Yugi, running over to confront Zorc. He was followed by all of his friends. "We won't let you have that card."

"Except you can't stop me, Yugi. He lost a shadow game, and that means his card and his soul are forfeit. Not even I can break the rules of the shadows, and I created them. No matter what you do, this card belongs to me now."

Yugi groaned in defeat. "You won't get away with this."

"You're welcome to try and stop my plans." Zorc began to walk away, but then he stopped and turned his head so he could see Yugi. "Try not to lose to one of the Egyptian Gods, Yugi. I want at least one challenge before I cover the world in darkness. I'm sure you figured out that I was just toying with that second-rate duelist."

"Then I was right. You're face-down card…"

"I could have activated it whenever I wanted," said Zorc, interrupting. "The power of that face-down card would have allowed me to win the duel at any time. Maybe one day you'll get to see it." With that he turned, walked a few more feet, and vanished.

Yugi clenched his fist, then turned to face the others. Tea and Mai were kneeling beside Joe, and the others stood watching. "How is he?"

"His vitals are normal," said Mai, "but we need to get him to a hospital right away."

"Alright," said Yugi. "We'll take him to the hospital, but then we need to get back to Japan. If he doesn't already have it, Zorc will be trying to get his hands on the Horus card." He looked down at Joe. "Let's just hope Kaiba did a better job of protecting the Egyptian God card than we did."

----

Zorc walked through the hall of his temple, wondering how successful his minions were in their tasks. When he reached the door to Apophis chamber, he stopped and looked in to see Apophis sitting there, apparently lost in thought. That was what Zorc admired about Apophis. Though he was the weakest of the Egyptian Gods, he was, by far, the smartest. "Apophis," he called out.

Apophis turned to see his master. He stood, then knelt, bowing. "My lord." He looked up. "Was your mission successful?"

"Yes," answered Zorc. "In fact, it was a little too easy. What of you and Nephthys?"

Apophis stood. "As you can see," he said, tossing the amulet that Nephthys brought back over to Zorc, "Nephthys has completed her mission."

Zorc examined the amulet, and smiled when he saw the shadow symbol. He shifted his gaze back to Apophis. "And what of the Horus card?"

Apophis frowned. "I was unable to locate its owner before Kaiba and his family. I won't be able to get near that kid with Kaiba around. That's why I used my shadow magic to disguise Nephthys as a student at Duel Academy. Since none of our enemies know what she looks like, she should easily be able to lure the Horus card's owner into a duel."

Zorc smiled. "Brilliant plan, Apophis. I congratulate you."

"Thank you, my lord."

"Let's hope for your sake that it succeeds. Now, if you'll excuse me," he said, holding up the End of Anubis, "I have an Egyptian God to revive."

----

Kaiba and his family stood outside of Duel Academy, waiting for Darius to return. Kaiba and Serenity stood in front of the entrance, and Mokuba and Amara stood about thirty feet away, closer to the dormitories. Though she had stopped crying, Amara was not about to risk her father's anger. While Mokuba was trying to cheer her up, Serenity was having a few words with her husband.

"You know," said Serenity, angrily, "you didn't have to be so hard on her."

Kaiba was on the defensive. Getting angry was not something Serenity did often, and he was quite surprised by the tone in her voice. "She's been lying to us for two years. I think that justifies me being a little harsh."

"We don't even know if she knew about the power of the lens. You could have been a bit more understanding." Done arguing with her husband, Serenity walked over to join her daughter and brother-in-law.

"This is great," said Kaiba, sarcastically. "She lies for two years, and I'm the one in trouble." Just then, Darius walked out of the academy. "Well?" asked Kaiba.

"I told all my instructors that I won't be attending class for a while," said Darius. "Now we can get going."

"Alright," said Kaiba. "Let's go." They began walking towards the others. As they approached, a girl from Osiris Red walked past Kaiba's family. When she spotted Kaiba, she became hysterical.

"Oh, my god!" she said, very excitedly, when they were in speaking distance. "You're Seto Kaiba!" She looked at Darius. "And you're the one who has the card that they named the new dorm after. I can't believe this!!"

As the tall, blond duelist continued her hysterics, Kaiba whispered to Darius. "Looks like you have a fan club."

"She's not the first girl to do this," he said to Kaiba. "In addition to being fourth-ranked at the academy and the owner of Horus, I'm also the highest ranked male duelist in the academy. The only duelists more skilled than me at the academy are female. As such, I have quite the following."

"I can't believe I get to meet you both," she said, still ranting. "This is the luckiest day of my life!"

"So," said Darius, slightly embarrassed by the girl's adoration, "what's your name?"

"It's N…" She stopped herself, realizing what she almost said. She continued, "Nicole."

"Nicole?" said Darius. "Pretty name."

She blushed, turned her head slightly, then said, "Would you mind…dueling me?" She turned to face him, and raised her duel disk. "I'm not very good, and I probably won't last long against you, but I want a chance to duel you, Mister Phoenix."

Darius was surprised by what she had called him, but he quickly regained his composure. "I don't see anything wrong with that." He turned to Kaiba for approval.

"I guess one duel before we leave the island won't hurt," he said, "but don't take too long."

Darius turned back to Nicole. "Looks like you will get to duel me." She shuffled his deck and placed it in his disk. "And don't worry. I'll go easy on you."

"Oh, please don't," she said, placing her now shuffled deck in her disk. "If you go easy on me, then I won't really be dueling you. You know what I mean?"

"I think I understand that. Very well, I won't hold back." The life-point meters flashed 4000. "Let's duel."


	11. Phoenix Vs Phoenix

**Chapter 11**

"I'll start things off," said Nicole, drawing her card. "I'll start by placing two cards face-down, and then I summon Neo-Spacian Air Hummingbird in defense mode." Her face-down cards appeared, followed by a red, humanoid monster. It had beautiful white wings and majestic tail-feathers, and its arms ended in talons instead of hands. It raised its long beak as the defense meter flashed 600. "Next I'll activate its special ability. Once during each of my turns, I can gain 500 life-points for each card in your hand. That means I gain 2500 life-points." Her life-point meter rose to 6500. "That ends my turn."

"Not bad for an opening move," said Mokuba. "She must be new to the academy. With that kind of skill, she should be able to make Obelisk Blue in no time."

"You're pretty good," said Darius, drawing his card. "First I'll summon my Mystic Tomato in attack mode." The evil-looking tomato appeared on his side of the field, and the attack meter flashed 1400. "Then I'll have it attack your Hummingbird." The tomato jumped across the field and bit the hummingbird, destroying it. "Now you can't gain any more life-points. Next I'll place a card face-down, and activate the magic card Clock Tower Prison!" His face-down card appeared, followed by a giant clock tower rising up from behind Darius. When it reached its full height, it towered well over the academy. The hands of the clock read 12:00. "This card doesn't have an effect I can use right now, but in a few turns it will become my most powerful weapon. That ends my turn."

A look of total excitement crossed Nicole's face. "Not only do I get to duel you, but now I get to experience one of your most popular strategies." As she drew her card, the hands on the clock tower began to rotate. They finally came to rest on 3:00, and a beam of light extended from the area between the hands. The quarter-circle of light came to rest on Darius. "What's going on?"

"At the beginning of each of your turns, the clock moves ahead three hours," said Darius. "When it reaches twelve again, its powers will be unlocked."

"Good to know," said Nicole. "For now, I think I'll just summon my Birdface in attack mode." Another humanoid bird monster appeared on her side of the field. This one had golden feathers, and it wore blue armor over its torso. It had one long horn on its forehead, and its long golden hair extended from its head to below its talon-covered feet. It squawked loudly as the attack meter flashed 1600. "Next I'll have my bird attack your tomato." The bird monster dove across the field and plunged, beak first, through the tomato, destroying it. Shockwaves blew past Darius as his life-points fell to 3800.

"I may have lost some life-points," said Darius as the Birdface returned to its owner, "but now I can summon a new monster from my deck. So now I summon Destiny Hero-Defender in defense mode." The giant stone monster appeared on his side of the field, and the defense meter flashed 2700. "Now it's my move." He drew his card. "I sacrifice my Destiny Hero-Defender to summon Destiny Hero-Dasher in attack mode." The stone defender was replaced by the wheeled monster, and the attack meter flashed 2100. "Now my Destiny Hero-Dasher will destroy your bird." The monster raised the speed in its wheels, then took off across the field, slamming its wheels into the Birdface and cracking its armor. Though Nicole's life-points fell to 6000, the bird was still standing. "Why wasn't it destroyed?" asked Darius as Dasher returned to his side of the field. It then switched to defense mode, and the defense meter flashed 1000.

"Oh, it was," said Nicole, "but when it's destroyed, I can summon a Harpie Lady from my deck." The crack in the Birdface's armor began to grow. "Behold, Harpie Lady #1." The armor, along with the rest of the monster, shattered, and the Harpie Lady appeared from within the bird. It wore a purple body-suit, and its green, winged arms ended in sharp talons, as did its legs. Its long, pink hair waved in the wind as the attack meter flashed 1300. The attack meter then climbed to 1600. "As long as this monster remains on the field, all wind monsters gain 300 attack points."

"Something's wrong," said Kaiba, taking an interest in the duel. "Even if she is a new student, she should have qualified for at least Ra Yellow during the entrance exams."

"Maybe she scored low on the written exam," suggested Mokuba.

"I don't think so," said Kaiba. "She seems to have a great deal of tactical knowledge as well as dueling skill. She should not be in Osiris Red."

Serenity took this moment to chime in. "Maybe it was an enrollment error or something," she offered.

"It could be," said Kaiba, "but something's not right here."

"My move," said Nicole, drawing her card. As she did, the clock hands rotated again, this time coming to rest on 6:00. The beam of light was now a semi-circle, extending from the right half of the clock face. "First I'll activate one of my face-down cards." She raised the card. "Monster Reborn! This card will allow me to revive my Hummingbird." The red bird appeared on her side of the field, and the attack meter flashed 800, then rose to 1100. "Next I'll use its special ability again, giving me 1500 more life-points." Her life-point meter rose to 7500. "Then I'll sacrifice my two monsters to summon this!" Her harpie and hummingbird became enveloped by swirling winds. The winds merged together, grew enormous, then dissipated, revealing a large, golden, almost mechanical bird. Its golden wings extended from its hips, with fire forming the membrane of its wings instead of feathers. Its legs ended in talons, and its long golden tail was enveloped in fire. Its upper body was much less mechanical than its lower body. Its slender arms emanated fire just above elbows. It wore a golden chest-plate, a dark blue gem at the collar. There were golden, v-shaped extensions on the sides of its head, with fire emanating from each tip, and a blue jewel adorned its forehead. It screeched loudly as the attack meter flashed 2400. "The Sacred Phoenix of Nephthys!!!"

Kaiba's eyes shot wide open. "That's one of the Egyptian God cards!" He turned his gaze to Nicole. "That means she must be one of the Egyptian Gods!" He approached the duel. "Stop this duel right now!"

"Oh, I don't think you want to do that, Kaiba," said Nicole.

"I think I do."

"No, you don't."

"Yes, I…" Kaiba stopped, realizing what he was being goaded into. "Why don't I want to stop this duel?"

"Because I am not going to stop this duel. That means that the only way to stop the duel is for Darius here to surrender, at which point I will be the victor, and the Egyptian God card becomes mine automatically, along with his soul." She smiled happily. "It's quite the nifty situation, don't you think?"

Kaiba could not believe that the childish girl standing before him was an Egyptian God. _I never should have let Darius duel,_ he thought.

"Aw, cheer up, Kaiba," said Nicole. "There's still the tiniest chance that I'll lose and you'll claim my Egyptian God card." She turned to address everyone. "Allow me to formally introduce myself." She pulled her hair back, revealing the Lens of Revelation in her right eye. The lens flashed brightly, and the Osiris Red uniform vanished from her body. She now stood proudly in her golden armor, relieved to be out of the schoolgirl outfit. "I am Nephthys, one of the seven Egyptian Gods." She turned to Darius. "I'm so sorry, but at the end of this duel, your Egyptian God card and your soul will be mine!"

----

Yugi stared out the window of the plane, thinking about how he could do nothing to stop Zorc from taking the Egyptian God card. As he looked down at the ocean, he heard a knock on his door. "Come in."

As the door opened, Yugi could see that it was Tea who had knocked. "We'll be arriving in Japan in a couple of hours. Just thought you'd like to know."

"Thanks, Tea," said Yugi, "but we both know that's not all you want to say."

Tea decided to get straight to the point. "I'm concerned about you, Yugi. You've seemed depressed ever since Zorc got away with the Egyptian God card."

Yugi turned back to the window. "I couldn't stop him. All I could do was watch as he claimed another soul."

"You're right," said Tea. "That is all you could do. It's not your fault. When Joe accepted that duel, he willingly put his soul on the line. He may even have known exactly what he was getting into."

"He may have," said Yugi, turning to face Tea, "but that doesn't change the fact that we were helpless against Zorc once again. He's more powerful than ever, and now we have to deal with Gods as well. What if we can't stop him this time?"

"That is a very real possibility, but we've overcome every challenge we've faced so far."

"But it was with Atem's help that we managed to do that. He's gone now, Tea."

"And it was you who sent him away. You defeated him." She walked over to him and put her hand on his shoulder. "You're a lot stronger than you give yourself credit for. Atem wasn't the King of Games. You are." She leaned in and kissed him. At first he was surprised, but that faded as she embraced him.

After a few seconds, he broke the kiss. "Tea…," he began, but she put a finger over his mouth, silencing him.

"We'll get through this, Yugi." She pulled her hand back. "Together."

----

Nephthys smiled. "Now I think I'll have my Phoenix destroy your Destiny Hero." She turned to her monster. "Sacred Phoenix of Nephthys, destroy his monster with Eternal Flame!!" The flames covering the God card's body began to intensify. They grew larger and brighter, merging together. Eventually, the phoenix's entire body was covered in its own flame. It screeched loudly once, and then the fire shot forth from its body, moving towards the Destiny Hero in the shape of a phoenix. It collided with the enemy monster, engulfing it in flames. Though the monster was mostly machine and had no mouth, everyone there heard it let out a scream of agony as the flames consumed it. Nephthys smiled again. "Aren't the fires of the phoenix beautiful?"

"Stunning," said Darius, drawing his card. "Now I'll activate Dasher's special ability. Once, if I draw a monster at the beginning of my turn, I can special summon it immediately. And it just so happens that I drew Destiny Hero-Double Dude. So now I'll summon it in defense mode." The well dressed monster appeared on his side of the field, and the defense meter flashed 1000. "That ends my turn." As Nephthys drew her card, the clock hands rotated again, stopping on 9:00. The beam of light was now three quarters of a circle, and almost completely surrounded Darius. "One more turn, and the abilities of the Clock Tower Prison will be unlocked."

"Ooh, that should be fun," said Nephthys without a hint of sarcasm in her voice. She really wanted to see what the clock tower could do. "Sacred Phoenix of Nephthys, destroy his Double Dude with Eternal Flame!" The phoenix-shaped fire shot forth once again, vaporizing the hero. When the flames cleared, the two Double Dude tokens were standing where their single body once stood. The defense meters flashed 1000. Nephthys looked confused. "So, you're monster splits in two when it's destroyed?"

"That's right," said Darius. "When Double Dude is destroyed, its two personalities gain separate bodies." He drew his card, and frowned. "I end my turn."

Nephthys looked displeased as well. "Did you run out of monsters for me to play with?"

"Don't worry. I still have my tokens."

"Not for long." She drew her card, and the clock hands rotated again, coming to rest on 12:00. The beam of light now emanated from the entire clock face, perfectly round. It surrounded Darius completely. When Darius smiled at this, Nephthys asked, "So what does it do?"

"You'll see soon enough."

"Fine. Then let me show you the true power of the Lens of Revelation."

"What do you mean?" asked Mokuba. "I thought the lens let people see the truth."

"That's a little inaccurate," she said as the lens started to glow. "It doesn't so much see the truth as dispel the false. Lies, illusions, it all fades before the Lens of Revelation." She turned to Darius. "And unfortunately for you, that includes the two personalities of your hero. He was real. The tokens are merely illusions." The Lens glowed brighter, and the tokens faded from the field.

"How did we not know that the lens could do that?" asked Kaiba.

"Don't feel too bad, Kaiba. You're daughter didn't know it either. If she had, she wouldn't have lost to Apophis."

"What do you mean by that?"

"It's simple, really. That snake's ability, or should I say the Manacle of Obedience's ability, to control monsters is a mental trick. It can easily be severed by the power of the lens." She turned to face Darius. "Now I'll attack you directly with Eternal Flame!" The flames covered the God card once more, assuming the shape of the phoenix, then flew at Darius. As they came down on him, however, they were blocked by the beam of light. The flames dispersed as they collided with the light. "So that's it. You can't be attacked directly once that beam is complete."

"That's right. After four turns, I suffer no damage from direct attacks." He drew his card. "Now I'll summon Destiny Hero-Diamond Dude in defense mode." A human monster appeared on his side of the field. It wore a black suit with a green cape, and had diamonds protruding from all over its body. The defense meter flashed 1600. "Next I'll place a card face-down, and then I'll activate Diamond Dude's special ability. Once per turn, I can look at the top card of my deck. If it's a normal magic card, I can send it to the graveyard and have Diamond Dude activate it during my next turn. Any other card is placed on the bottom of my deck." He looked at the top card of his deck. "Unfortunately for me, it's Destiny Hero-Fear Monger." He placed the card on the bottom of his deck. "That ends my turn."

Nephthys drew her card. "You may be protected from attacks, but I doubt your monsters can say the same. First I'll summon Barrier Statue of the Stormwinds in defense mode." A green, bird-shaped statue appeared on her side of the field, and the defense meter flashed 1000. It began glowing with energy, and a green circle, inscribed with ancient runes, extended from it, growing to surround the field. "As long as this card is on the field, you can't special summon any monsters except for wind monsters. Now I'll have the Sacred Phoenix of Nephthys attack your Destiny Hero." The fire shot from the God card, descending on the Diamond Dude.

"I activate the trap card D-Counter," said Darius, raising one of his face-down cards. "When one of my Destiny Heroes is attacked, this card allows me to destroy the attacking monster. Now say goodbye to your Egyptian God card!" A glowing light emanated from the Destiny Hero. It blasted across the field, destroying the fire, and vaporized the Sacred Phoenix. When the light cleared, Darius could see that Nephthys wasn't happy.

"You meanie," she said, turning her head slightly. "Why'd you have to destroy my phoenix?"

"That's just how the game is played."

She smiled. "You have no idea." She extended her arms outward, as if gesturing to something. "Now behold the fires of resurrection!" As she said this, flames sprung up from the field, forming a circular pattern and burning every magic and trap card on the field, including the Clock Tower Prison, to ashes. The flames and ashes began swirling together where the phoenix once stood. They began taking shape, forming the body of the phoenix in the fire. The phoenix-shaped fire screeched, then dissipated, the golden God card standing in its place. The attack meter once again flashed 2400. She smiled and said, "So sorry to tell you, but the Sacred Phoenix of Nephthys is immortal. Whenever it's destroyed, it is reborn from the fire, consuming all magic and trap cards in the process. That means you are no longer protected by your clock tower."

"That may be," said Darius, "but my clock tower has another effect. If the four turns have passed before it's destroyed, then I can summon my Destiny Hero Dreadmaster." The fire from the clock tower had died, but the smoke was still thick. From within the smoke, a shadowy figure appeared. As it approached the field, however, it was bombarded by an extraordinarily strong wind. As it tried to push through the wind to reach the field, the razor speed of the gale ripped it to shreds.

"Too bad for you my Barrier Statue prevents you from special summoning non-wind monsters." She smiled. "I place a card face-down, and end my turn."

Darius drew his card. "First I'll activate Diamond Dude's special ability." He looked at the top card of his deck, and smiled. "The card on top of my deck is Lightning Vortex. Now by sending it to the graveyard, I can activate it during my next turn." He placed the card in his graveyard. "Now I'll place a card face-down, and end my turn."

"Time to end this little game," said Nephthys, drawing her card. "First, I'll activate my face-down card." She raised the card. "Icarus Attack. By sacrificing one winged beast monster, I can destroy two cards on the field. Now I'll sacrifice my Barrier Statue to destroy your Diamond Dude and your face-down card." A ray of light shot down from the sky and struck the Barrier Statue. The statue then discharged two rays of light which struck the face-down and the Destiny Hero. All three cards were destroyed at once, leaving the field bare except for the phoenix. "Next I'll summon another Birdface in attack mode." The armored bird appeared on her side of the field, and the attack meter flashed 1600. "Now I'll have the Birdface attack you directly." The bird dove into Darius, knocking him down, then returned to Nephthys' side of the field. As Darius got to his feet, his life-point meter fell to 2200. "Now, Sacred Phoenix of Nephthys! Wipe out the rest of his life-points with Eternal Flame!!" The fire surrounded the phoenix, taking its shape, then shot towards Darius. The phoenix of fire engulfed Darius in flames, and he screamed as his life-points fell to zero. "Now to claim your soul," she said as the lens began to glow. In a flash of light, Darius' soul was pulled from his body and trapped within the lens. "And now for the Egyptian God card." She began walking towards Darius.

Kaiba stepped between them. "You can't have that card. I won't let you take it."

Nephthys giggled a little, then placed a hand on Kaiba's cheek. "Aw, sweetie, do you really think you can stop me? I won that card. Even you can't deny the truth. The card is mine. Now please, step aside." She walked around Kaiba to reach Darius and knelt down to pick up the card. She stood and turned to face the group. "Well, it's been fun, but I really must be going. See you later." With that, she vanished.

Amara ran over to Darius' body and knelt beside it. "Darius…," she said sadly. She turned to her father. "We have to put a stop to this."

"Don't worry," said Kaiba. "We will."

----

"Look what I got," said Nephthys happily as she entered Zorc's chamber. She held up the God card so that everyone could see.

"It seems that your plan worked, Apophis," said Zorc, dividing his attention between the two Gods. He stepped down to accept the card from Nephthys. "Now to revive him." He turned his full attention to Nephthys. "The sacrifice?" Nephthys bowed to Zorc, then raised her head to reveal that the lens had begun to glow. Zorc reached into his coat and retrieved the Dagger of Fate. He held it up, blade pointed at Nephthys, ready to receive the soul. In a flash of shadow energy, the soul moved from the lens into the dagger. He lowered his arm before speaking. "From now on, you two are to watch Yugi and his friends. I don't want you dueling them until we are ready."

"Yes, sir," said Nephthys.

"Understood," said Apophis.

"What about me?" asked a voice from the shadows.

"I have a special mission for you," said Zorc. "There's someone who might actually be able to help them defeat us. I want you to get rid of him."

"And what of the Pharaoh? I want a chance to settle my score with him."

"Take care of this problem, and you'll get that chance…" Zorc smiled wickedly. "…Anubis."


	12. Familiar Faces

**Chapter 12**

Kaiba and his family stood and watched as the jet carrying Yugi and the others descended upon the Kaiba Corp airfield. Though both groups tried to remain hopeful, the total failure that each had experienced led everyone to realize the truth. As the jet slowed to a stop, Kaiba walked towards it to greet the others. Yugi was the first off the plane, and the expression on his face confirmed Kaiba's suspicions.

"Let me guess," said Kaiba. "Zorc has four God cards now, doesn't he?"

"So you failed too, huh?" asked Yugi.

Kaiba frowned. "I let my guard down," he admitted. "We had the card, then one of the Egyptian Gods showed up in disguise and took it from us."

"Was it Apophis?" asked Yugi.

"No," said Kaiba. "We would have recognized him." Kaiba lowered his gaze slightly as if remembering the experience. "It was another one. Her name was Nephthys. She dressed up like a student in order to duel the owner of the card." Kaiba looked away, frowning. "And I let her."

"Don't blame yourself, Kaiba," said Tea.

Kaiba looked up to see that the rest of the group had emerged from the plane. Scanning the group, his eyes came to rest on a face he hadn't seen in about fifteen years. "Hello, Mai."

"Kaiba," she responded. "Long time, no see." Kaiba let a faint smile play across his face. Mai continued speaking. "Tea's right. You shouldn't blame yourself."

"Yeah," said Tristan. "We had the same problem. We got to the God card first, then Zorc made the card owner duel him by insulting him."

"Zorc always seems to be one step ahead of us," said Kaiba. He turned to Yugi. "It's time that we were one step ahead of him." He held up his deck. "When the next God attacks, we're gonna be ready."

----

Sitting at his desk, wearing his bright red suit, Maximillion Pegasus was hard at work. He was typing up a document on his computer when the phone rang. He turned away from the computer and picked up the phone.

"Maximillion Pegasus speaking."

"Mr. Pegasus," said Croquet, over the phone. "It's ready."

"Excellent, Croquet," said Pegasus. "Send it to me as soon as you can."

"Yes, sir." He hung up.

Pegasus returned to his work, knowing that his most important work was finally finished. He had always known this day would come. Even though he had lost his Millennium Eye, he could still sense what was happening. Although at first he had brushed it off as nothing more than a bad feeling, he sprung into action the second he heard that the Dagger of Fate had disappeared from the museum. There was only one thing left to do. He had to make sure that whoever came to him for help knew exactly where to find it.

----

As the bell on the door to his shop rang, Solomon Motou stopped placing card packs on his shelves and turned to see his grandson and his friends walking through the door. He smiled and said, "Yugi! How nice to see you."

"Hey, Grandpa," said Yugi, smiling. "How's the shop?"

"It's doing quite well, Yugi. Business has never been better." He scanned the group. "Well, this is a surprise. There seem to be two faces I haven't seen in years." He addressed Marik first. "Marik, how are you, my boy?"

"I'm doing very well, sir," said Marik, bowing slightly.

"That's good to hear," said Yugi's grandfather. He shifted his gaze. "And how about you, Mai?"

"I'm just fine," she answered. She looked him up and down. "Well, look at you. You look great for your age."

"Why, thank you, Mai." He curled his arm as if showing off his muscles. "I do try to keep in shape." He turned so that he was addressing the entire group. "What brings you all to my shop?"

"Oh, you know," said Joey, walking past the rest to examine the cards on the shelves. "Shadow games, world in peril." He turned his head back to the group. "Hey, Gramps, any of these for me?"

Solomon Motou laughed. "Impatient as always. No, I'm afraid those are the new arrivals, but I may have something else for you." He turned to face the open door to the back of the shop. Loudly, he said, "Bring out that box of old packs."

"Right away, Mr. Motou," replied a familiar voice. After a few seconds, a man emerged from the back, carrying a small, cardboard box. He wore black jeans and a red, sleeveless vest over a sleeveless, black t-shirt. Around his forehead he wore a red bandana with a black, diamond pattern, and he wore a gold belt, also with a diamond pattern. He had bright green eyes and spiky black hair, and, although most of the accessories he used to wear were gone, he still wore a die-shaped earring on his left ear. He smiled when he saw the group. "Hey, guys."

"Duke!" said Tristan, surprised.

"Duke Devlin," said Joey, walking up to him. "Ain't you a sight for sore eyes? I'll take that," he said, grabbing the box. He set it down on the counter and started digging through the card packs inside it.

"Grandpa, what are those?" asked Yugi, pointing to the box.

"Oh, just some old card packs that I took off the shelves a while ago. They contain powerful cards, but for some reason I haven't been able to sell the rest of them." He looked toward the cards that he had just put on the shelves. "It's all these new cards. No one appreciates the classics. They just want the latest thing."

"If the cards in those packs are that good, are you sure we can have them?"

He smiled. "Help yourselves. They're no good if they're never opened." Joey smiled when he heard this and ripped open the pack he was holding, almost damaging the cards in his haste. While most of the others walked over to join Joey in opening the packs, Tristan and Tea walked over to Duke.

"Hey, man, how've you been?" asked Tristan.

"I've been fine," said Duke. "Dungeon Dice Monsters has become very popular around the world, and I've been helping Mr. Motou out from time to time."

"That's great," said Tea.

"So, what's with you guys?" asked Duke. "Did I hear Joey say 'shadow games'?"

"Unfortunately, yes," said Tristan. "This time we're up against the Egyptian Gods."

"Really?"

"Yeah," said Tea. "Zorc's bringing them back to life with their cards and evil versions of the Millennium Items. He has four cards already."

"Wait, four?" asked Duke in surprise. "I thought there were only three."

"Actually," said Tristan, "there's seven in all. Yugi still has his three, but Zorc has the rest."

"Anything else I should know?"

"Well," said Tea, "there is one more thing. Kaiba's married."

"To Serenity," finished Tristan. A brief look of despair crossed Duke's face. "They also have a daughter named Amara.

"Kaiba, Serenity, Amara, and Mokuba all went back to Kaiba Corp," said Tea, "and we came here. We figured if we split up, we'd have better luck finding cards we could use against the Egyptian Gods than if we all went to the same…"

"Awesome," yelled Joey, interrupting Tea. The three turned to see what he was so excited about. "Check it out, Yug'. I got one of them evolving monsters." He showed Yugi the card.

"Excellent, Joey." Yugi examined the card. "This is one of the stronger ones, too."

"Alright!" He calmed down slightly. "What'd you get, Yug'?"

Yugi looked down at the cards he was holding. He hadn't gotten a chance to look through them before Joey screamed about his card. He flipped through a few of them, coming to rest on the third card in the pack. He lifted the card into the light. _Excellent, _he thought. _This card will be very useful against Apophis._ He flipped past a few more cards, and his eyes widened when he saw one of them. _This is it!_

Solomon was looking over his shoulder. "Yugi, that's incredible! That's one of the rarest cards out there. I'd heard that seven were created, but I'd only ever heard of six being found."

"There's a reason only six were found," said Marik, stepping up to them. "Yugi was destined to find that card." He smiled. "With a little luck, we may be able to win this battle yet."

----

As Kaiba and his family rode the elevator down to Kaiba Corp's vault, Kaiba, arms crossed and head lowered, was contemplating their chances of victory. _We've faced many strong opponents before, _he thought, _but now we're up against actual Gods. _He closed his eyes. _As much as I hate to admit this, we may not be able to win. _He opened his eyes when he heard his wife's voice.

"What's wrong?" asked Serenity. "You look troubled."

"It's nothing," said Kaiba, unwilling to let go of his pride and voice his doubts.

Serenity smiled. "We've been married for eighteen years. It's never nothing when you have that look on your face." Kaiba remained silent, but Serenity knew what was bothering him. "Don't worry. You and Yugi are the best duelists in the world. Zorc may be powerful, but you guys will beat him." Kaiba smiled. "Knew I could cheer you up," she said, smiling back.

The elevator doors opened, and the group entered the vault, spreading out to look for various cards to strengthen their decks. Each of the four went to different sections of the right wall of the vault, pulling out multiple drawers of cards. Kaiba and Amara started in the same section, looking for dragon cards. While the others were still flipping through cards, Amara had already pulled out two.

"These are perfect," she said. "They'll really improve my deck." Kaiba grabbed the cards from her. "Hey," she said loudly.

"You're not a part of this," he said, placing the cards back in the drawer.

"Look, I'm sorry about the whole lens thing," she said, trying to defend herself.

"I'm not mad about that anymore," he said, "but I don't want you anywhere near this."

"But…"

"You're my daughter. I need to make sure you're safe. Besides…" He flipped back a few more cards and pulled one out. "…I've been saving this for a special occasion."

----

_How much longer is this going to take? _thought Zorc, watching the cloud of shadow energy in front of him. It had been nearly five minutes since he had started reviving Horus, and he was growing impatient. After a few more seconds, the cloud began to dissipate. _Finally, _he thought as the figure inside the cloud came into view. He wore black pants and boots, and his upper body was bare except for the armor sleeve over his right arm. It was silver with a black tint, and it extended from just past his shoulder down to his wrist. His black hair extended to just below his ears, and his pitch black eyes stared straight past Zorc. He was kneeling before his master, holding his Egyptian God card in his left hand. After a few seconds, he stood, taking the Dagger of Fate from the ground.

"You're time in the Shadow Realm has made you stronger, Horus," said Zorc as the God handed him the dagger. "That took much longer than I expected." He reached into his coat, pulled out the amulet, and tossed it to Horus. "You'll find your deck in your chamber. Make any adjustments you need to suit your new power, but make them quick. I have a special task for you."

"What is it that you require, my master?"

"I need you to claim the remaining Egyptian God cards from Yugi."

"I am afraid," said Horus, smiling wickedly, "that that will be all too easy."

----

Pegasus walked through the door to his private office, confident that his latest creation was secure, and moved over to his desk. He grabbed a document from his printer, folded it into a small square, and placed it in his pocket. _Now everything is in place, _he thought.

"Maximillion Pegasus?" asked an eerily familiar voice.

Pegasus turned to see who had spoken his name. Standing before him was the Egyptian God that had surfaced just after the Battle City tournament over twenty years ago. His arms were crossed, making his large muscles bulge even more. His long, golden hair extended to just below the armor plates on his shoulders. He wore black pants, and a gold and blue cloth hung from his waist. A black cape hung from his shoulder pads, and he wore red ribbons around his wrists and just below his shoulders. He had a wicked grin on his face, and the Pyramid of Light hung from his neck.

"Anubis!!" said Pegasus, completely shocked.

"I'm glad to see that you remember me, Pegasus," said Anubis. The grin on his face faded. "It was all thanks to your Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon that I was defeated. I'm here to make sure that that does not happen to Zorc." Anubis raised his shadow disk, and the Pyramid of Light began to glow. In a flash of light, a Battle City duel disk appeared on Pegasus' arm, his deck inside it, already shuffled.

"And if I refuse?" asked Pegasus.

"I'm afraid that you don't have that option." Anubis placed his deck inside his disk. "As I'm sure you remember, if you lose to the Pyramid of Light, you will lose much more than just your soul."


	13. Troublesome Toons Pt 1

**Chapter 13**

"I'll make the first move," said Anubis, drawing his card. "I summon my Pyramid Turtle in defense mode." A turtle shell with a pyramid on its back appeared on his side of the field. The turtle itself was withdrawn into the shell. The defense meter flashed 1400. "Next I'll place a card face-down and end my turn."

"Right to the point, huh? You're no fun at all." Pegasus drew his card. "I'll summon my Gemini Elves in attack mode." Two female elves appeared on his side of the field. One had blond hair, the other had red. The one with red hair was wearing a purple dress. The other was wearing a light-blue dress with gloves and boots to match. The attack meter flashed 1900. "Now I'll have them attack your little turtle." The elves rushed across the field in unison, jumped, and kicked the turtle in the side, making a crack in the pyramid.

"Now that you've destroyed my turtle, I can…"

"You can summon one zombie with 2000 defense or less from your deck. Don't forget that I created this game as it is today. Now, what would you like to summon?"

Anubis was getting annoyed by Pegasus' attitude, but he remained focused. "I'll use my Pyramid Turtle's effect to summon the Lich Lord, King of the Underworld." The crack on the pyramid began to grow, extending to cover the entire structure. After a few seconds, the pyramid shattered, revealing a shadowy figure inside. As it came into view, Pegasus could see its large, black wings and the tattered, red robe that it wore. It was a charred-black skeleton with red eyes, and it clutched a scepter in its right hand. The attack meter flashed 2400.

"Oh, no," said Pegasus. "What ever shall I do? My poor elves are defenseless against such a beast." He shifted the cards in his hand. "What's this? Could it be? It is! It's the all-powerful Toon World!" As he played the card, a green book appeared on his side of the field. It was open, and two-dimensional buildings extended from it. It sucked the Gemini Elves into it, then it slammed shut. "Next I'll place a card face-down and end my turn."

"You're a very annoying person," said Anubis, drawing his card. "First I'll activate Call of the Mummy." The card appeared on his side of the field. "This magic card allows me to summon two monsters per turn, as long as one of them is a zombie. So first I'll set a monster in defense mode, and then I'll use Call of the Mummy to summon my Regenerating Mummy in attack mode." The Call of the Mummy card began to glow, and, instead of just appearing on the field, the Regenerating Mummy crawled up to the field through the ground. The monster was a rotted corpse, wearing scraps of bandages in a few places. The attack meter flashed 1800. "Now I'll have my Lich Lord attack your elves." The skeleton's scepter began to glow, and it fired a beam of red energy towards the Toon World. As it approached, the book opened and the elves popped out, now in their toon form. They hugged each other as the beam approached, seemingly terrified of the attack. When it struck, however, the elves were not destroyed. Instead, it made their bodies bounce back and forth.

"I'm terribly sorry, but as long as my monsters are safe inside the Toon World, they cannot be harmed." The elves glared at Anubis. "Oh, you've made them angry." He smiled and tilted his head. "Say you're sorry," he said, waving his finger at Anubis.

"I'm not apologizing to your toons." The elves turned away from him, crossed their arms and lifted their heads in a huff, and retreated back into the book. "That's all for my turn."

Pegasus drew his card. "Which one should I summon? Ah, I know!" He pulled one of the cards from his hand. "I'm sorry I have to do this, but I'm afraid I must sacrifice my elves." The elves popped out of the Toon World and faced Pegasus, pleading with him not to sacrifice them. He turned his gaze to them. "I'm so sorry, but it can't be helped." The elves stopped pleading and bent over, letting their upper bodies hang out of the book in despair. Pegasus turned back to Anubis. "Anyway, I sacrifice my elves to summon the Summoned Skull." The book closed, flattening the elves, then sucked them in. The book then began to spin. "Of course, he's being summoned into a world of toons, so he'll probably be one of them." The book stopped spinning. "Behold, the Toon Summoned Skull." The book opened, and a purple toon with blue, skeletal armor popped out. It had bright yellow eyes and purple wings, and it was laughing through its teeth. The attack meter flashed 2500. "He's such a happy fellow, isn't he?" He turned to his toon. "Why don't you amuse yourself by destroying his Lich Lord?" The Toon Summoned Skull threw its head back with a wide, open-mouthed smile when it heard its master's suggestion, then it shifted its gaze to the Lich Lord, rubbing its hands together in anticipation. "Lightning Strike attack!" The toon generated a ball of purple lightning above its head, then fired it at the Lich Lord. The attack struck the monster, vaporizing it. Anubis shielded himself from the shockwaves as his life-point meter dropped to 3900. When Anubis lowered his arms, he could see the toon shaking its head rigorously, its tongue bouncing back and forth.

"You're monsters are almost as annoying as you are," said Anubis, drawing his card.

"What a shame," said Pegasus. "I guess not everyone enjoys cartoons."

Anubis ignored Pegasus' remark. "First I'll flip up my face-down monster." He raised the card, revealing a mummified camel with two humps. The attack meter flashed 500. "It's called Des Lacooda. When I flip this monster, I can draw one new card from my deck." He drew the card. "Next I'll use its other special ability to flip it back face-down." The monster disappeared, replaced by a face-down card. "Next I'll sacrifice my Regenerating Mummy to summon a monster in defense mode." The mummy was enveloped by a swirling wind. When it cleared, a face-down card was in its place. "Next I'll use Call of the Mummy to summon the Wandering Mummy." A new mummy crawled up through the ground. This one was fully clothed in yellowing bandages. The attack meter flashed 1500. "Now I'll use its effect to flip it face-down." The mummy disappeared, leaving a pile of sand in its place. The sand started blowing around, culminating in a sandstorm, shielding Anubis' entire side of the field from view. "As you can see, my Wandering Mummy has another effect. When it's flipped face-down, it rearranges all of my face-down monsters." The sandstorm subsided, revealing three face-down monsters on Anubis' side of the field. "Go ahead and attack, if you dare."

Pegasus drew his card. "You must be joking. Do you think a little desert weather is going to scare my toons?"

"Do you ever stop talking?"

Pegasus laughed lightly. "Every now and then." He looked at his hand. "I'll place another card face-down, and then I'll summon Red Archery Girl in attack mode. Of course, by the time you see it, it will have become the Toon Mermaid." A clam with eyes popped out of the book. It looked to its left, then to its right, then, after returning its gaze to the center, it opened to reveal a mermaid with a blue tail and green hair. She was holding a pink bow in her hand, and a blue arrow was resting against the interior of the clam. The attack meter flashed 1400. "Now, which monster should I attack? How about the one in the middle." He turned to the Toon World. "Toon Summoned Skull, Lightning Strike attack!" The toon emerged from the book, bouncing a ball of lightning from hand to hand. It pulled its arm back, grasping the ball in its hand, ready to throw. When it thrust its hand forward, however, the ball had disappeared. It quickly leaned its head toward its hand, its eyes popping out, comically surprised that the ball had disappeared. Hand still outstretched, it shifted its gaze straight ahead, and three white question marks appeared above its head, one after another. It raised its arms, checked under each armpit, then turned around to see if it was behind him. When it turned, Anubis could clearly see the ball of lightning stuck between the monster's wings. The toon turned its head to see where the ball was resting. It grabbed the ball, turned back to face Anubis, put a hand to its mouth, and started giggling. "Playful little guy, isn't he?" said Pegasus happily.

"I'm starting to lose patience with these antics, Pegasus."

Pegasus frowned. "Oh, fine. Then I'll just attack." He turned to his monster. "Toon Summoned Skull, destroy his middle monster." The toon complied, hurling the ball of lightning at the monster. The Wandering Mummy appeared just before the ball struck, destroying it. The toon laughed a few times, then retreated into the book. "Next I'll have my Toon Mermaid destroy another of your monsters." This time, the mermaid emerged from the book, arrow already drawn in the bow. It aimed at the monster on the right, and fired the arrow without hesitation. The Des Lacooda appeared just in time to be speared by the arrow. "I think that's all for my turn."

Anubis drew his card. "I've put up with your monsters' antics long enough. Reveal face-down monster!" He raised the card. The monster that appeared was a giant, golden sphinx. The giant stone beast wore the garments of a pharaoh, and the attack meter flashed 1700. "The Guardian Sphinx." He smiled. "I may not have any cards to deal with Toon World, but that won't stop me from removing your monsters. When the Guardian Sphinx is flipped, it returns every monster on your side of the field to your hand, and that includes your toons." The sphinx opened its mouth and blew out a powerful gust of wind. As it blew across the book, its pages flipped and the toons went flying out. While the mermaid was swept back to Pegasus' hand almost immediately, the Toon Summoned Skull was hanging on to the book for dear life. It slipped further off the book for a few seconds before being blown off altogether, returning to its owner's hand. Once emptied, the Toon World book slammed shut. "Next I'll activate Card Destruction, forcing us to discard our hands and draw new ones."

"But that means my toons…"

"Yes, your toons are sent to the graveyard." Anubis watched Pegasus reluctantly discard the four cards in his hand and draw new ones, then continued his turn. "Now that your monsters are out of my way, my sphinx will attack you directly." The sphinx opened its mouth again, this time blowing sand instead of wind. Pegasus' life-point meter fell to 2300 as the sand struck him. As his life-points fell, Pegasus could feel his own life energy being drained from his body, and he knelt to absorb the shock. "How does it feel having your life energy drained by the Pyramid of Light?" Pegasus stood but did not answer. "Don't you have anything to say?"

Pegasus shrugged. "Not a thing."

"That's a first," said Anubis. "Next I'll use the Guardian Sphinx' other ability to flip it back face-down." The sphinx disappeared, replaced by a face-down card. "Now I'll summon a monster in defense mode, and activate the magic card Shifting Shadows." A layer of shadowy fog appeared on Anubis side of the field, just above his face-down monsters. "This card constantly shifts the positions of all of my face-down monsters. Not even I know where they are anymore." He stared directly into his opponent's eyes. "Maximillion Pegasus, your time in this world is coming to an end!"

----

Mako Tsunami swam up to the beach, his latest catch on the end of his harpoon. As he climbed out of the water, his eyes came to rest on the man sitting on a log a few yards away. He was wearing black pants, and had what looked like armor running the length of his right arm. The black duel disk on his left arm drew Mako's attention.

"Impressive catch," said Horus. "You must be Mako Tsunami."

"That I am," he responded. "I'm the greatest fisherman in all the world."

"That may be, but are you a skilled duelist as well?"

"I am indeed." He picked up his duel disk from where he had placed it on the ground and slid it onto his arm. "Would you care to test me?"

"Very well," said Horus, raising his disk. "Let's duel."

----

Pegasus drew his card. "I may not have any new toons to play, but that doesn't mean I'm out of monsters. I summon my Dark Eyes Illusionist." A strange, yellow monster with black symbols covering its body appeared on his side of the field. It stood on a cone-shaped base, and had three cone-shaped extensions on its head, one on each side and one on top. It wore a bright green cape, and the millennium symbol made up its face. The attack meter flashed 0.

"Getting desperate, are we?" said Anubis, drawing his card. "Now I'll flip my face-down monster."

"Not so fast," said Pegasus. "I can't see your monsters, but I can keep them in defense mode. Activate trap card." He raised one of his face-down cards. "Gorgon's Eye. This card turns all of your defense position monster's to stone, trapping them. Also, if I destroy one of your monsters that are under the spell of my trap, half of that monster's defense points are deducted from your life-points."

"If I can't flip my monsters, then I'll just have to summon a new one."

"I don't think you'll be doing that either. Activate trap card." He raised his other face-down card. "Prophecy. I select a card in your hand, then guess if its attack power is higher or lower than 2000. If I'm right, the card becomes mine. So now I'll guess that the only card in your hand is a monster with more than 2000 attack points." Anubis frowned. "I'll take that scowl to mean that I was right." He smiled. "Well, what are you waiting for? Hand it over."

"Fine, take it." He tossed the card to Pegasus.

Pegasus examined the card. "I'm glad I used that trap. This card would have caused quite a few problems." He drew his card. "I'll place two more cards face-down, and then I'll summon my Cannon Soldier in attack mode." The Toon World book opened, and Pegasus' newest monster emerged in all of its cartoon glory. It was a purple monster with yellow shoulder pads. It had silver claws on each hand, and a large cannon strapped to its back. The attack meter flashed 1400. "Oh, I'm sorry. I meant Toon Cannon Soldier. How silly of me."

"My move," said Anubis, drawing his card and ignoring Pegasus. "I'll sacrifice my Guardian Sphinx to summon Hieracosphinx." A giant, lion-shaped monster appeared on his side of the field. It had the head of a falcon and wings to match. The attack meter flashed 2400. "Since I have only one face-down monster, the shadows will subside for now." The shadows covering Anubis' side of the field dispersed, revealing a face-down card, turned to stone by the Gorgon's eye. "Of course, it doesn't matter, since Hieracosphinx prevents you from attacking any monsters that are in defense mode." He smiled wickedly. "Now I'll have my Hieracosphinx destroy your Dark Eyes Illusionist." The sphinx leapt into the air, ready to plunge its claws into its strange opponent.

"I'm afraid you've just activated my Dark Eyes Illusionist's special ability. Any monster that tries to attack me gets frozen in place." The millennium symbol appeared in front of the Dark Eyes Illusionist, generating a field of electricity. The Hieracosphinx collided with the field, sending sparks flying in all directions. After trying to break through the barrier for a few seconds, the Hieracosphinx gave up and returned to Anubis' side of the field. "As long as my Dark Eyes Illusionist remains on the field, your attacks become completely useless."

"So I've noticed," said Anubis, frowning. "Make your move."

Pegasus drew his card, and a wide smile crossed his face. "Oh, I was so hoping I'd get to play this card." He shifted his gaze to Anubis. "Prepare to face the most powerful monster in my deck. I sacrifice my Toon Cannon Soldier and my Dark Eyes Illusionist to summon this." The strange yellow monster disappeared from his side of the field, and the Toon World was emptied once again. The Toon World book began to spin again, faster than ever this time. After a few seconds, the book began to slow, finally coming to a stop. It flipped open, and a blue toon monster popped out, its wide, blue eyes staring straight at Anubis. It had large, blue wings, and razor sharp teeth and claws. It waved its short arms about as the attack meter flashed 3000. "The Blue-Eyes Toon Dragon!"

Anubis took a step back, surprised. "How is this possible? I thought that only the Kaiba family possessed the Blue-Eyes White Dragon."

"Well, you see," said Pegasus, closing his eyes and smiling. "When Kaiba came to me to create three more dragons for his daughter, I couldn't resist making one for myself." The toon flew down from the book and gave its master a hug. "Precious, isn't he?"

"How many of these cartoon monsters do I have to destroy?"

"I've got a few left, but for now this one gets to play." He gestured towards the Hieracosphinx. "White Lightning attack." The dragon puffed up its toon body and released a stream of lightning that vaporized the sphinx in seconds. As Anubis' life-points fell to 3300, he could feel his own Shadow Item draining his life-force from his body. "So sorry," said Pegasus as his dragon returned to the book. "He goes a little overboard sometimes." The Toon World slammed shut.

Anubis drew his card. "I think we've played enough games for one duel. It's time for me to end this. Reveal face-down card." He raised his trap card. "The Pyramid of Light!" A giant pyramid made entirely of light surrounded the two duelists, and, for the first time, Pegasus was afraid. He remembered all to well the first time he had seen this card played. "Next," said Anubis, "I'll give up 1000 life-points to summon Andro Sphinx and Sphinx Teleia from my deck." His life-point meter fell to 2300, and he felt his life energy being drained, but Anubis didn't care, because he was summoning two of his greatest monsters to the field. The first was humanoid, walking on two legs. It wore blue, spiked armor, and had the head and claws of a lion. Its golden mane waved in the air as the attack meter flashed 3000. The second walked on four legs. It was a beautiful white beast, with the body of a lion and the head of a woman. It had long, pink hair and small, golden wings. It raised its head, and the attack meter flashed 2500. "What do you think, Pegasus? These are my favorite pets, and I'm sure they can't wait to start devouring your monsters and your life-points." Anubis started laughing maniacally, and Pegasus wondered, even with his Blue-Eyes Toon Dragon, how he could possibly win this duel.


	14. Troublesome Toons Pt 2

**Chapter 14**

Rex Raptor walked down the street, looking for duelists that he could crush in order to show off his skill. He stopped at an intersection and looked around, trying to spot a duel disk. As he was looking, he felt someone bump into him from behind. "Hey, watch it," he said, turning to see the person that crashed into him. The man stood nearly twice as tall as Rex, and he wore black pants. Though he was shirtless, he wore armor over his right arm. On his left arm, he wore a black duel disk, and a golden amulet hung from his neck.

"Sorry," said Horus, lowering his gaze to Rex. "I didn't see you."

"Didn't see me?!" said Rex, growing angry. "I'm Rex Raptor, dino duelist extraordinaire."

"Never heard of you," said Horus, turning to leave.

"That's it!" said Rex, raising his duel disk. "I'm gonna teach you some respect."

Horus stopped. "Very well," he said, turning to Rex and raising his disk. "Let's get this over with."

----

"Do you understand yet, Pegasus?" asked Anubis, placing the last card in his hand face-down on the field. "My power is ancient. No matter your skill, you're no match for me."

"We'll see about that," said Pegasus, drawing his card. "Now I'll have my Blue-Eyes Toon Dragon attack your Sphinx Teleia." The toon reared back, ready to launch a burst of lightning at the sphinx.

"I don't think so. Activate trap card." He raised the card. "Curse of Anubis!"

"No!" said Pegasus, taking a step back. "Not that card."

"Yes, this card. It allows me to switch all of your effect monsters to defense mode, and it strips them of their defense points and their effect status." He smiled. "That includes toons." The Toon World book opened, and the Blue-Eyes Toon Dragon emerged from it, appearing on Pegasus' field as the Blue-Eyes White Dragon. The defense meter flashed 2500, then fell to 0. "Once it's my turn, I'll destroy that dragon and reduce your life-points to zero."

"You think I'll just let that happen?" Pegasus examined his hand. "I'll summon my Toon Alligator in defense mode." A small, cartoon alligator emerged from the book, a wide, toothy grin on its face. It stood on two legs, and clutched a tiny axe in its hands. The defense meter flashed 1600. The alligator chuckled a bit, then disappeared into the book as it closed. "Now at least my life-points will be defended."

"Did you forget?" asked Anubis. "My trap card is still active. Until your turn ends, it will continue to strip your effect monsters of their power."

"I didn't forget," said Pegasus, smiling. "You see, the Toon Alligator has no special abilities, and it's a toon right from the beginning. In other words, your trap has no effect on it."

Anubis frowned, drawing his card. "I can still destroy your strongest card." He turned to his four-legged beast. "Sphinx Teleia, destroy his Blue-Eyes White Dragon." The sphinx roared loudly, and sound waves shot across the field. The Blue-Eyes' roar joined the sound as it disappeared from the field, destroyed. "That's all for now."

Pegasus drew his card. "I think it's about time that I used your own monster against you." He pulled the card from his hand. "I sacrifice my Toon Alligator to summon the Dark Dust Spirit." The book opened, and dust began pouring out of it. As the dust began to swirl around, the two sphinxes turned to dust as well, joining the cyclone. "As I'm sure you're well aware, when this monster is summoned, every face-up monster on the field is destroyed." The dust condensed, forming the shape of a monster. It was humanoid, and purple markings covered its red body. It had long, white hair, extending well below its spiked shoulders. It had two horns on its head, and its yellow eyes glared at Anubis as the attack meter flashed 2200.

"Don't forget, I still have my face-down monster."

"Not for long. Dark Dust Spirit, destroy his monster." The spirit lunged forward, plunging its claws deep into the stone card. Without even flipping, the card shattered, and Anubis' life-points fell to 2050. Pegasus smiled. "Thanks to my Gorgon's Eye, you lost 250 life-points. That means the monster I just destroyed had 500 defense points." He placed a hand to his chin, thinking. "Now let's see. A monster in your deck with 500 defense points." He snapped his fingers. "Ah, I know. It must have been the Night Assailant."

Anubis smiled. "Good guess, but you won't convince me that you can read my mind. Even though you once possessed the Millennium Eye, without it, reading minds is impossible."

Pegasus closed his eyes and shrugged. "Oh, well. It was worth a try." He opened his eyes. "That ends my turn."

"You're such a fool," said Anubis. "The Dark Dust Spirit is just that; a spirit. At the end of the turn, it returns to its owner's hand." He shifted his gaze to the monster. Dark Dust Spirit, return to me." The color began to fade from the monster, eventually becoming a shape composed entirely by dust. The dust began removing itself from the shape, starting from the top. The dust began taking the shape of a card in Anubis' hand. Once the shape was completely formed, the dust solidified, and the card assumed its brown color. Though the card had been formed, a pile of dust remained on Pegasus' side of the field.

"Why is there still dust on the field?" asked Pegasus.

Anubis started to laugh, lightly at first, then more loudly. Once he stopped, he said, "That's the dust that came from my sphinxes. When the two of them are destroyed at the same time, if I give up 500 life-points, they combine to form a much more powerful beast." Anubis life-point meter dropped to 1550 as the dust began swirling around. It crossed to Anubis' side of the field and assumed a new shape. The lower body of the new monster was that of the Sphinx Teleia, the four-legged white body of a lion. The upper body, however, belonged to the Andro Sphinx, and it wore a chain around its waist. It roared as the attack meter flashed 3500. "Behold, Theinen the Great Sphinx. This is my strongest monster in terms of attack and defense. You may have beaten my other monsters, but you won't be able to defeat this one."

"Don't get too confident," said Pegasus. "I've destroyed every monster you've played so far, and I'm sure I can destroy this one too."

Anubis chuckled lightly. "That is if you survive this turn."

"What do you mean?" Pegasus shifted his gaze from the sphinx to the field, and a look of realization crossed his face. He had ended his turn with no monsters on his field.

Anubis smiled again when he saw Pegasus' expression. "You see it, don't you?" he said. "You've left yourself completely defenseless."

----

Joey yawned and stretched, ready to go to sleep. He brushed the tired feeling aside, attempting to focus on the task at hand. His deck was spread out in front of him, and spare cards lay all around. He shifted a few cards around, making final adjustments to his deck. Even though it was late, he needed to finish creating a more powerful deck. He exchanged one more card and smiled. "Finished," he said, picking up his deck and placing it on his dresser. He yawned again, then proceeded to pick up all of his spare cards. Once he finished putting them all away, he took off his shirt and tossed it in his hamper. As he went to get into his bed, the doorbell rang. "Who could that be?" he said, groaning. He left his room and walked down the stairs to answer the door. He opened the door to find Mai Valentine standing there, looking down in an obvious attempt to avoid eye contact. "What are you doing here, Mai?" he asked, a very slight undertone of pain in his voice.

"Well," she said, still avoiding eye contact. "I couldn't find a hotel, and…"

"…And you need a place to stay," said Joey, finishing her sentence.

"Yeah," she said, finally looking at his face.

He stepped to the side and opened the door wider. "Come on in," he said.

She stepped inside and looked around at the inside of Joey's house. "You've done pretty well for yourself."

"Yeah," he said. "I work as a game designer now. It pays pretty well." He gestured up the stairs. "The guest bedroom is up the stairs, first door on the right. The bathroom is directly across the hall." He started to walk up the stairs.

"Joey…" said Mai longingly.

He stopped. "What?"

She shifted her gaze away from him once again. "Nothing."

He started up the stairs again. "I'm going to bed. See you in the morning." Mai felt a pang of guilt as she watched Joey disappear onto the upper floor. Seeing him now brought back so many memories of their time together. Standing in his house now, she realized something. She still loved him.

----

Horus looked down in disgust at the soulless body of the duelist he had just defeated. He could not believe that he let someone so pathetically weak duel him. "At least I now have two souls in my possession." He looked around. "But I still need one more for my plan."

"Sorry, boys, but I'm the American Champ. There's no way you could possibly beat me in a duel."

Horus walked around the corner to see where the voice had come from. Standing there, with a raised duel disk, was a blond girl in a pink jacket. She wore a green skirt and a yellow shirt, and she wore glasses that made her look quite sophisticated. Standing a few yards from her were three men with duel disks. Each one had an expression of defeat on their face. _She'll be perfect, _thought Horus.

"Anyone else?" asked the girl, looking around. She spotted the black disk on Horus' arm. "How 'bout you? Are you a skilled duelist?"

Horus lowered his head and smiled. "Yes, I am. In fact, there are some who consider me to be a God."

The girl smiled. "Excellent. I've been looking for a challenge." She raised her disk. "My name is Rebecca Hawkins, and I'm the Duel Monsters champion of America."

"Hopefully you'll live up to that title," he said, raising his disk to meet hers. "Let's duel."

----

"Now I'll finish you off," said Anubis, drawing his card. "Theinen, wipe out the rest of his life-points." The sphinx reared back its head and let out a loud roar, sending sound vibrations across the field. As the waves approached Pegasus, he reached for one of his face-down cards.

"Sorry, but sheer brute force just isn't enough to beat me. I activate the magic card Doppelganger. This card can copy any card on the field or in a graveyard." A long, blue, cat-like creature extended from the card and circled Pegasus. "Now, which card would you like to copy?" Pegasus asked his monster. The blue creature bent over and whispered in its master's ear. "Excellent idea. Go right ahead." He turned his attention to Anubis. "He says that he would like to copy my Dark Eyes Illusionist." The monster took its place on the field and transformed into the Dark Eyes Illusionist, and the attack meter flashed 0. "And he's just in time to stop your attack." The millennium symbol appeared in front of Pegasus' monster, forming a barrier to block the sound waves. "Too bad. It looks like your attack failed. Oh, well. I guess there's always next time, right?"

Anubis didn't respond. Instead, he continued his turn. "I'll place a card face-down and end my turn."

Pegasus drew his card. "Oh, this is perfect. Now I'll activate the Black Illusion Ritual. By sacrificing my Dark Eyes Illusionist, I can summon a new monster." A strange, horned jar appeared on his side of the field. It was golden and had the millennium symbol on it. It began producing a purple smoke, which sucked the Dark Eyes Illusionist into the jar. Once the smoke subsided, the jar beagan changing its shape, eventually becoming a strange new monster. This one was covered in blue-green plating, and a white pattern ran the length of its body. It stood on a cone-shaped base, like the Dark Eyes Illusionist, and it had a strange pocket at the base of its upper body. It had sharp claws at the end of each of its bulky arms, and two large wings extended from its collar. Its long neck ended in a spherical head, the millennium symbol forming its face. The attack meter flashed 0. "It's called Relinquished, and it has a special ability. It can absorb one of your monsters and use its power." He turned to his monster. "Relinquished, absorb his Theinen with Absorption Force." The pocket in Relinquished's body expanded, sucking in the air around it. Theinen struggled against the wind, but eventually it was sucked into Pegasus' monster. The pocket shrunk to its natural size, and Relinquished folded its wings over its body, forming a shell. The sphinx emerged halfway from the wing on the right, and the attack meter rose to 3500. "Now, Relinquished, attack him directly with Pilfered Power." Pegasus' monster began absorbing energy from the sphinx that was trapped in its wing, preparing to attack.

"Not so fast. I activate my trap card." Anubis raised his card. "Ordeal of a Traveler." A giant sphinx appeared on his side of the field. Its eyes glowed a crimson red. "Whenever you attack, I select a card in my hand, and you have to guess whether it's a monster, magic, or trap card. If you guess wrong, my trap will destroy your monster. Now…" He held up one of the two cards in his hand. "…care to try your luck?"

_He wouldn't choose the Dark Dust Spirit, _thought Pegasus. _It's the only card I know he has in his hand. And I know the other one is not a monster or he would have summoned it, which means that it's either a magic or trap card. He's giving me two options, and he's betting that I'll guess wrong. Unfortunately for him, I designed this game, and I know that the chances of it being a trap card are slim to none. _He smiled at Anubis. "I believe that the card you're holding is a magic card."

Anubis chuckled lightly. "I'm very impressed, Pegasus. There was only one card in my hand that you didn't know, and you correctly identified it as a magic card."

"That means my attack goes through." He turned to his monster. "Relinquished, wipe out his life-points with Pilfered Power." The monster just stood there, ignoring its master's command. "Relinquished, what's wrong? Why aren't you attacking?" He shifted his gaze to Anubis. "What's going on?"

Anubis chuckled again. "As I said, you correctly identified the unknown card in my hand. However, the card I held up was the one you already knew."

"That can't be!"

"Oh, but it can." He turned the card around, revealing his monster. "I selected my Dark Dust Spirit. Now my trap card activates." The eyes of the sphinx began to glow brighter, and they fixed their gaze on Relinquished. Without a second's hesitation, the sphinx emitted energy beams from its eyes which collided with the sphinx trapped within Relinquished's wing. The great sphinx let out one last roar before being vaporized by the beams. Relinquished, however, remained in its place, and the attack meter fell to 0. "So, Relinquished has other abilities, does it?"

"Yes," responded Pegasus. "As long as it has absorbed a monster, it cannot be destroyed."

"Unfortunately for you, it no longer has a monster, so I'll easily destroy on my turn."

"That's why I'm going to switch it to defense mode. Reveal face-down card." He raised his last face-down card. "It's a magic card known as Earthquake, and it switches all monsters on the field to defense mode." The field began to shake violently, and Relinquished shielded its face with its arms, switching to defense mode. The defense meter flashed 0. "That's all for my turn."

Anubis drew his card, and smiled. "Pegasus, this duel is over. Now I activate the magic card Book of Life." A green book with Egyptian markings on it rose up from the ground. "This card allows me to bring one of my zombies back from the graveyard, so long as I can remove one monster in your graveyard from the game." He smiled again. "Now I'll use your favored Blue-Eyes White Dragon to give life back to my Regenerating Mummy." The Book of Life flipped open to a blank page, and Pegasus' graveyard began to glow. The image of a Blue-Eyes White Dragon slow started to appear on the page, as if being drawn by an unseen hand. Once the image was completed, Pegasus' graveyard stopped glowing. The book slammed shut and proceeded to bury itself in the ground. Once the book was completely underground, the earth began to open again, this time to release the Regenerating Mummy. Once it had taken its place on the field, the attack meter flashed 1800. "Next, using Call of the Mummy, I'll sacrifice my Regenerating Mummy to summon the Dark Dust Spirit." The mummy vanished from the field, and thousands of dust particles floated up from the cracks in the ground. As they rose, the Relinquished turned to dust and joined the collection of particles. Eventually, they came together to form the Dark Dust Spirit, and the attack meter flashed 0. "Thanks to the Dark Dust Spirit's special ability, your monster has been destroyed. Now all that's left is to attack you and end this game."

"You forget, I still have 2300 life-points. Even after your attack, I'll still have 100 life-points left."

"Who said I was attacking with the Dark Dust Spirit?"

"But it's your only monster. What else could you attack with?"

Anubis smiled. "It looks like you're the one who forgot. I still haven't used my normal summon for this turn." A look of fear crossed Pegasus' face. "Now I'll sacrifice the Dark Dust Spirit to summon the End of Anubis!" The spirit vanished, replaced by the jackal-like Egyptian God card. It howled as the attack meter flashed 2500. "Now, Pegasus, feel the power of an Egyptian God." He shifted his gaze to his monster. "Anubis, attack with Purgatory Flash!" The gem on the God's chest began to glow, charging the hooked appendages on its shoulders with energy. It howled once, loudly, then fired the two beams of energy from the tips of its appendages toward each other, merging them together in a ball of green energy. The ball of energy pulsated for a few seconds, then burst into a wide wave of energy, heading directly for Pegasus. Just before the attack struck, Pegasus reached into his pocket, a motion that Anubis did not see. He pulled his closed fist out of his pocket just as the burst of energy collided with him. He screamed in pain as his life-points fell to zero. The eye on the Pyramid of Light began to glow, absorbing Pegasus' soul and his remaining life-force. Pegasus dropped to his knees, his face blank, and fell forward, lifeless. Anubis lowered his disk, and the Pyramid of Light around the field faded. Anubis smiled and began to leave. When he reached the door, however, he stopped and turned around. He walked over to Pegasus' desk and shoved the computer and printer off. A shower of sparks erupted when the devices shattered on the floor. "So much for the great Maximillion Pegasus," said Anubis, turning to leave. Anubis walked out of Pegasus' mansion with total confidence in his success, never having noticed the folded paper in Pegasus' hand.


	15. Reunions

**Chapter 15**

Horus stood across from his opponent, confident that he was about to win. Though the American champion had been a skilled opponent, her life-points now stood at 200. With his own life-points at 1700, all that was left was to get past her green monster. It had five legs and eight red eyes, and its attack power was currently increased to 2100. Horus shifted his gaze from the Shadow Ghoul to his own monster. Having just suffered an attack, the only monster on his side of the field was a Troop Dragon resting in defense mode.

"I'll be able to finish you off on my next turn," said Rebecca, with full confidence. "Make your move."

Horus drew his card. "Overconfidence is a flaw that many duelists share. Had you been a little more observant, you would have realized that I've been holding back. Now I'll sacrifice my Troop Dragon to summon the Gravi-Crush Dragon." His small dragon vanished, replaced by a green, muscular dragon. Though it had no wings, its appearance was still very fearsome. It had red claws, and wore two bracelets on each wrist. The bracelets closer to its hands were silver with spikes, and the other bracelets were black with blue gems. It wore metal braces on its neck, and a red feather extended from the back of its neck, as well as the top of its head. Its red eyes glowed as the attack meter flashed 2400.

Rebecca took a step back. _No, _she thought. _If he attacks me with that then I'll lose this duel._

"Now, Gravi-Crush Dragon, destroy her Shadow Ghoul and wipe out the rest of her life-points." The dragon thrust its muscular arm towards the Shadow Ghoul, bringing it down on the monster with incredible force. The monster was destroyed, sending shockwaves past Rebecca as her life-points fell to zero. The eye on Horus' amulet began to glow as the holograms disappeared. He thought for a moment as the soul was sucked from his opponent. "That's three duels now," he said, thinking out loud, "and not once did I have to use the power of my Shadow Item." He closed his eyes and lowered his head. "How disappointing." The amulet finished absorbing Rebecca's soul, and the eye stopped glowing. "Now that I have three souls, it's time to find Yugi Motou."

--

Mai yawned in her purple nightgown as she walked down the stairs, heading for Joey's kitchen. She had gotten up early so she could make breakfast. After everything she had put Joey through, she figured it was the least she could do. She walked into the kitchen and opened a few cabinets, looking for cooking utensils but finding none. _Geez, Joey, _she thought. _Don't you ever eat in?_ She opened another cabinet, this one just as bare as the rest. Looking up, she realized that she could not see what was on the top shelf. She reached up and felt around with her hand, still finding nothing. As she pulled her hand back, however, she knocked something off the shelf. She looked down, and her eyes widened when she saw what she had knocked down. It was a small, black, velvet-lined box, and she bent down and picked it up. She flipped it open to find the most beautiful engagement ring she had ever seen. The gold band was lined with amethysts, and two rubies sat on either side of an almost perfect diamond. _This must have cost him a fortune, _she thought. _When did he…?_

"You should have waited a little bit longer," said Joey, interrupting her thoughts. Mai turned to see him leaning against the doorway. "I had it all planned out. I'd take you out for a romantic dinner, we'd go for a walk along the beach, and then I'd propose. It was only days away, and you left without a word."

"Joey," she said with tears in her eyes, "I…"

"Don't, Mai," he said, walking over to her. He placed his hand on hers. "When I saw you in America, all that pain came back. I felt it all again, just like when you left." He looked into her eyes, and smiled. "But the way I feel about you has never changed, not then, not now, and I'd gladly forgive you if you'd just answer one question." He took the box from her, dropped to one knee, and held up the ring. "Will you marry me?"

--

Zorc sat in his chamber, eyes closed, thinking about how smoothly his plan was proceeding. He heard footsteps enter his chamber, and he opened his eyes to see Anubis kneeling before him. He smiled. "Ah, Anubis. I trust everything went well."

Anubis smiled back. "It did indeed, my lord. Pegasus is out of our way, and his soul is yours."

"Sounds like good news all around, then." Anubis turned to see Nephthys and Apophis standing in the doorway.

"I take it from that that both of you were successful as well, Nephthys," said Zorc.

"Two souls, as ordered," said Nephthys. "I found an American duelist who thought he was the greatest thing in history." She closed her eyes and smiled. "He made the mistake of trying to cheat against me."

"And what about you, Apophis?"

"Just some half-dead zombie user."

"Sounds like Bandit Keith and Bonz. They must have been released from the Shadow Realm when I was sealed away." He stood. "Now all that's left is to wait for Horus to return with the last three Egyptian God cards."

--

Yugi sat, arms crossed and eyes closed, on the rim of the fountain in the city center, waiting for his friends. During the previous night, Yugi had realized something, and it was on his mind now. He had the last three Egyptian God cards, which meant that he was Zorc's target. That meant that his friends were in danger.

"Lost in thought?" asked Kaiba.

Yugi opened his eyes turned to see Kaiba and his family standing a few feet away. "Kaiba."

"Looks like we're the first ones at the party," said Amara. "Where's everyone else?"

"They'll be here soon," said Yugi, hoping he was right. He stood and walked over to the group.

"You didn't even hear us walk up," said Serenity. "Is something on your mind?"

"It's nothing," answered Yugi. "I'm just glad you're all safe."

"And just how long do you think that will last?" asked a voice from behind Yugi.

Yugi turned around to see where the voice had come from. Standing a few yards behind him was the Egyptian God Horus. He held Mako's limp body under his left arm and the bodies of Rebecca and Rex under his right. "What have you done to them?" asked Yugi.

"I defeated them all in a Shadow Game," he answered, tossing the bodies to the ground and revealing his shadow disk. "They weren't even a challenge." He shifted his gaze from the bodies to Yugi. "I'm sure you know why I'm here."

"You want my Egyptian God cards."

Horus lowered his head snickering. "You think I'm here because I want your God cards?" He raised his head. "I'm here because I'm going to get your God cards."

The God's arrogance annoyed Kaiba. "You like to talk big, but let's see if you can duel." He raised his disk.

Horus chuckled lightly. "I have no interest in you."

"Why you…!" started Kaiba, but Yugi placed a hand in front of him.

"Kaiba," said Yugi, over his shoulder, "calm down."

"But Yugi…"

"Let it go."

Horus began laughing lightly. "You'd better get him under control before the rest of your friends see him like that."

"What do you mean?"

"Just take a look." Horus gestured past the group, and Yugi turned to see the rest of his friends, as well as his grandfather, walking up to join them. "Looks like the entire gang will be able to see you lose the Egyptian God cards." Yugi glanced back at Horus briefly, glaring at him.

"Hey, Yug', what's going on?" asked Joey as the group approached. He spotted Horus in the back. "Who's that guy?"

Yugi glanced back again. "He's one of the Egyptian Gods." He turned around to face Horus. "His name is Horus."

Marik's eyes went wide with fear when he heard the God's name. "This is Horus?"

"Are you alright, Marik?" asked Tristan.

"Back in Ancient Egypt, Horus was revered for his power. Nicknamed the Black Flame of Egypt, he would strike down anything the threatened the Pharaoh and his people. His loyalty to the Pharaoh was also legendary, which is why many people could not believe that Horus betrayed him."

"If you know so much about me, tombkeeper, then you know that I've never failed to complete a mission." He turned to Yugi. "Here's the deal. Three souls, three cards."

"Very well," said Yugi, raising his disk. "Let's duel."

Horus chuckled again. "You misunderstand, Yugi. I don't want a duel. I want a trade."

"What?!" asked Yugi, surprised.

"As powerful as I am, if I duel you, I will lose." He looked down at the bodies. "I know that at least two of these duelists are your friends." He returned his gaze to Yugi. "I'll return their souls if you agree to hand over the God cards."

"How do we know you won't just take the cards and their souls?" asked Tea.

"You weren't listening," responded Horus. "First, Yugi agrees to the trade, then I return the souls, and then I get the cards." He turned back to Yugi. "Like me, you're an honorable duelist. I trust that you will hold up your end of the deal. Besides, this is a Shadow Deal. If one side does not complete their part of the deal, then their soul will be taken by the shadows. Now, what is your answer?"

Yugi lowered his head and closed his eyes. "Deal."

"Yugi, you can't," protested Kaiba.

"Kaiba, I have no choice. I can't just let him take their souls." He turned back to Horus. "Let them go."

"Very well," said Horus, reaching for his amulet. The eye on the amulet began to glow as he placed his hand on the Shadow Item. After a few seconds, the three souls emerged from the amulet in a fury of shadow energy, descending into their bodies. "It's done," said Horus, lowering his hand. "Now hand over the cards."

Yugi flipped open the box on his belt and reached into his deck to retrieve the God cards. "You won't get away with this, Horus."

"That remains to be seen. You may one day defeat Zorc, but, for today, victory is ours." He walked over to Yugi, took the cards, and began to walk away.

"What about them?" asked Duke, gesturing towards the three unconscious duelists.

"Don't worry," said Horus, still walking away. "They'll wake up soon." As he said this, Mako groaned, beginning to wake up. Horus took a few more steps, then vanished.

"Ugh," groaned Mako, sitting up. He looked around, fixing his gaze on Yugi and the rest. "Yugi, what's going on?" He took another look around. "How did I get here?"

"Don't worry," said Mokuba. "We'll fill you in as soon as those two wake up."

"Let me give you a hand," said Yugi, helping Mako to his feet.

"Thanks." He turned to face the entire group. "It's good to see you guys again."

"It's good to see you again too, Mako," said Joey.

As Yugi watched Mako greet the rest of the group, he couldn't help but wonder what was going to happen next.

--

The three Egyptian Gods stood in their master's chamber, waiting for Horus to return. "What's taking him so long?" asked Nephthys, growing impatient.

"Relax," said Apophis. "Not everyone rushes in head first." Nephthys glared at him. "He's probably just taking his time to plan out his strategy."

Nephthys smiled and leaned against the wall. "Or maybe the Black Flame of Egypt has lost his touch."

"If you use that lens of yours, you'll realize just how wrong you are."

Nephthys looked up to see Horus walking into the room. "Took you long enough."

He ignored Nephthys and approached Zorc. He held up the God cards. "Looking for these?"

"Excellent," said Zorc, taking the cards.

"I'm sure by now you have three souls," said Horus, shifting his gaze to each of the other three Gods.

"Which is why you didn't return with any," finished Zorc.

"My mission was to retrieve the cards," said Horus. He returned his gaze to Zorc. "You never expected me to bring back any souls."

Zorc smiled wickedly, acknowledging the correctness of Horus' statement. He then shifted his gaze to the Egyptian God cards. "Now to revive Obelisk and Osiris." He chuckled lightly, raising his head to address all four Gods. "Only with their power will we be able to break the seal on Ra."

--

"So once he had defeated you three," explained Yugi, "Horus came to me to trade your souls for my Egyptian God cards."

"I take it from the fact that we're all sitting here that you agreed to the trade," said Rex. Yugi remained silent. "I'll take that as a yes."

"And now Zorc has everything he needs," said Rebecca.

"That's not true," said Marik, chiming in. "While he does have all the Egyptian God cards, there are still two Shadow Items that he might not have. We still have a chance to keep them away from Zorc."

"But this is our problem," said Yugi, turning to Marik and then back to Mako, Rebecca, and Rex. "If you don't want to get involved, you're free to go."

"It sounds dangerous," said Mako, "but the fate of the world is at stake." He stood. "Consider me part of the team."

"I'm in, too," said Rebecca, standing.

Yugi smiled, then turned to Rex. "What about you, Rex? It's your choice."

Rex thought for a moment, then smiled and stood. "Count me in. I want some payback."

"Thanks you guys," said Tea.

Serenity turned to her husband. "Seto, I know you don't usually let anyone other than your family use the cards in your vault, but, under the circumstances, don't you think that everyone should be able to use them?"

Kaiba sighed, knowing his wife wouldn't stop until he agreed. "Fine, let's go." Serenity gave Kaiba a kiss on the cheek, and the frown on his face faded. He turned to Mako and the others. "Use whatever cards you like, but build your decks carefully."

"Kaiba's right," said Yugi. "Your decks are going to have to be the best they've ever been. The Egyptian Gods are unlike any opponents you've faced before."

--

_Just a few more seconds, _thought Zorc, watching the giant cloud of shadow energy in front of him. The other four Egyptian Gods stood around him, waiting to see their comrades again. The cloud began to dissipate, revealing the two figures inside it. One was shorter than the other, and he wore black pants and a red, sleeveless shirt. His red hair was spiked up, and he wore a small, red, diamond-shaped earring in his left ear. The other was fully covered in blue, spiked armor. The helm of the armor had five long spikes extending from it, and a ruby adorned the center of the forehead. The two of them were kneeling before their master. "Welcome back from the Shadow Realm." He reached into his coat, pulled out a golden gauntlet marked with the shadow symbol, and tossed it to the one in the blue armor. "Here's your Shadow Item, Obelisk." He turned to the other. "Osiris, your dagger lies in front of you."

"Excellent," said Osiris, reaching for the Dagger of Fate. "Now, who do you want us to go after? I'm ready for some action."

"You're still a child," said Obelisk, placing the gauntlet on his right hand, the only part of his body not covered in armor. His voice was deep, almost synthetic, as though something was changing it, making it more intimidating. "Try to act your age."

"Enough," said Zorc, irritated by the argument. "Now that all six of you are here, it's time to resurrect Ra." He turned to Osiris. "The soul of Maximillion Pegasus still resides within the Dagger of Fate. It should be a strong enough sacrifice to break the seal." He returned to addressing the group. "It's time to show the world that not even the tombkeepers can permanently confine a God."

--

"Kaiba, your collection of cards is quite impressive," said Mako, shuffling through the cards in Kaiba's vault. "They will certainly help to strengthen my deck."

"I agree," said Rebecca, also hard at work looking through the cards. "These are some great cards."

Unlike the other two, Rex Raptor was not looking for cards. Instead, he was sitting on a table in Kaiba's vault. "Don't you need any cards, Rex?" asked Tea.

"Nope," he responded. "I've got my own deck."

"Would that be the deck you just lost with?" asked Duke sarcastically.

"No. This one's stronger, but I need one more card to complete it."

Kaiba walked over to the wall and pulled out one of the drawers. He flipped a few cards back, then pulled one out. "Is this the one you're looking for?" He tossed it to Rex.

Rex caught the card, then examined it. "How'd you know which card I needed?"

"Because I know you, and I know how rare that card is."

Yugi stood against the wall, watching. "Hurry and complete your decks," he said. "We need to keep at least one Shadow Item out of Zorc's hands." When Yugi said this, Marik began to scream in pain. He dropped to his knees, one hand on the floor, the other grabbing his chest. He began to breathe heavily, attempting to stop his body from convulsing. Yugi rushed over to him, followed by the rest of the group. "What's wrong, Marik?" asked Yugi.

"We're too late," said Marik, still breathing heavily. "The seal has been broken. He's been resurrected."

"Who?" asked Yugi.

Marik slowly looked up at Yugi, an expression of pure terror on his face. A single word escaped his lips. "Ra."


	16. War

**Chapter 16**

Ra stood in the shadows of Zorc's chamber, surrounded by his comrades. The six of them knelt before him in a display of respect. Ra, however, ignored them, focusing his attention on the one person in the room who dared to stand in his presence. "So," he said. "This is the fool who brought us all together."

Zorc never liked Ra. The God's arrogance knew no bounds. "Ra. I thought I was finished with you after the Battle City Tournament."

"If you hadn't failed to defeat the Pharaoh, you might have been."

"Don't you have anything to say about the trouble you caused me?"

Ra thought for a moment. "I do have something to say. I'm sorry it wasn't permanent."

"Show some respect, Ra," said Obelisk, trying to be the voice of reason. "Zorc is the only reason that we were able to escape from the Shadow Realm."

"Why should I show respect to this fool?" He shifted his gaze back to Zorc. "He needs us, remember?"

"Enough!" said Zorc angrily, releasing waves of shadow energy from his body. In that moment, Ra could sense his true power. Admitting defeat, Ra knelt before Zorc. "That's better." Zorc turned to address the entire group. "I want all of you to get your decks ready. It's time to take down Yugi and his friends." He turned to Apophis. "Apophis, you've had the most time to get your deck in order. I want you to test Yugi's strength."

"Consider it done."

"The rest of you work on your decks." He smiled wickedly. "It's time to end this war once and for all."

----

Marik sat in a chair in the lobby of Kaiba Corp, surrounded by the others. Though he had recovered from the shock of Ra's release, the feeling of pure terror still remained.

"Are you alright, Marik?" asked Tea.

"Yeah, man," said Tristan. "What happened?"

"I told you," said Marik. "Ra has been resurrected."

"How do you know that?" asked Kaiba.

"Because his soul was ripped from my body."

"You want to explain that, Marik?" asked Joey.

"While it is true that my family lived for centuries awaiting the Pharaoh's return, it was not the true purpose for my family's existence. Back in ancient Egypt, Ra was so powerful that simply sending him to the Shadow Realm was not enough to stop him. After many failed attempts to contain his power, my ancestor decided to trap Ra's soul inside his body. Ever since then, it has been the duty of the firstborn son of each generation of the Ishtar family to keep Ra's power contained."

"So you've been dealing with this your entire life?" asked Serenity.

"It hasn't been easy," said Marik. "There were a few times when his power overwhelmed me, but ever since Battle City, I've been able to keep his power under control."

"Wait," said Mokuba. "That means…"

"Yes," interrupted Marik. "The dark spirit that took over my body…was Ra."

----

_Soon, _thought Zorc, looking over his deck in his chamber. _Soon my resurrection will be complete. _A wicked grin crossed his face. _Yugi, his friends, even the Egyptian Gods. They don't realize that they're playing right into my hands. They're all fools._

"Is that what you think?"

Zorc looked up to see Ra standing in the shadows of his chamber, leaning against his doorway. "Don't pretend that you can read my mind."

"I don't need to read your mind to know what you're thinking. I've known of your plan since ancient times." He smiled. "The other Gods may follow you willingly, but I'm no fool, nor am I your puppet. I only followed your orders back in ancient Egypt because I knew I was no match for you." He locked eyes with Zorc. "In your weakened state, defeating you should be an easy task."

Zorc picked up a card from the table and held it up so that the back of the card was facing Ra. "Are you sure you want to challenge me?" he asked with overwhelming confidence.

Ra frowned and turned his back to Zorc. "Nothing would give me more pleasure than to crush you right now. Unfortunately, I have a few things to take care of first." With that, he turned and walked out of Zorc's chamber.

Zorc smiled again, lowering his card. _Go right ahead, _he thought. _Gain all the power you need. I hope you'll at least be able to challenge me when I destroy you._

_----_

Mai stood in Kaiba's vault, watching the rest of the group search through Kaiba's cards. Once they had confirmed that Marik was alright, they all went back down to the vault to continue to reconstruct their decks. Confident that her deck was strong enough, Mai walked out of the room and leaned against the wall. She held up her left hand, examining the ring that Joey had given her, and smiled.

"Looks like my brother finally proposed."

Mai lowered her hand and looked up to see Serenity standing in the vault doorway. "Serenity," she said surprised. Her surprise faded, and the smile returned to her face. "Yeah, he did." She took another look at the ring, then turned back to Serenity. "So what's it like being married?"

"It's great. You're going to love it." She glanced back at her husband. "I know I do."

"You and Kaiba," she said, smiling. "How did that happen?"

"Not everyone understands him like I do," she said, still looking at her husband. "He seems cold on the outside, but he's really a good man." She started to walk back into the vault, but Mai grabbed her arm to stop her.

"Serenity," she said, letting go of Serenity's arm, "don't tell anyone about this."

"Why not?"

"Joey and I talked about it, and we just think it's not the right time. It could distract everyone from the fight against Zorc."

Serenity smiled. "Don't worry." She gestured toward the vault. "Come on. Let's get back in there." The two girls separated as they walked back into the vault, each moving to a different area of the room. Mai chose a spot on the wall a few feet away from Joey to lean against, and Serenity went to stand next to her husband.

"So what were you two talking about?" asked Kaiba.

"Oh, nothing really," answered Serenity. She turned to face Marik. "So how much do we know about Ra?"

"Not much," answered Marik.

"But didn't Yugi beat him back in Battle City?"

"I'm afraid not. Back then, Ra was using my deck." He turned away from her. "Believe me. We've never seen Ra's true power."

----

Apophis smiled, confident his deck would be a match for Yugi's. He stood, collected his deck, and walked out of his chamber. _Now, Yugi, _he thought, _I finally get my chance to make you pay for defeating me. _He walked down the hallway, ready to leave.

"Leaving so soon?"

"My mission is to test Yugi, Nephthys," he said without turning around. "I have no reason to wait."

Nephthys smiled and to a few steps toward him. "Make sure you don't get yourself sent back to the Shadow Realm," she said playfully.

"If you insist on taunting me, then I'm going to leave." He took another step.

"Wait," she said, placing her hand on his shoulder.

"What?" he asked, still not turning around.

"Show me your face."

He turned his head back to face her. "What?" he asked, surprised.

"Show me your face." She smiled lightly. "Your real face."

He turned his whole body around to face her. "Can't you use that lens to see it?"

"I can," she said, smiling, "but that's not what I want." She leaned into him. "I want you to show it to me."

He smiled. "If that's what you want." His red eyes began to glow, and his blue armor began to retract, starting from the top of his head. As the armor slid down from his head, the tail extending from beneath his cloak began to retract as well, disappearing into the cloak. The shape of his face began to change as well, becoming more human. The serpent had vanished, and the man was now standing before Nephthys. His short, dark-blue hair was slicked back, and his bronze skin was now visible, uncovered by his blue armor. His red eyes stopped glowing, and he looked into the eyes of the Goddess. "Is this what you wanted?" he asked, turning away.

She put a hand on his shoulder to stop him. "Isn't there something you want to do before you leave?" she asked, a hint of longing in her voice.

He smiled, turning back to her. "Yes, there is." He grabbed her arms softly, and leaned in to kiss her. His lips met hers with all the passion that the two of them could find inside themselves. When they finally broke the kiss, Apophis leaned back. "I have to go."

"Please be careful."

"Don't worry," he said, taking his cloak off. "I'll be back as soon as I defeat Yugi." He placed the cloak around Nephthys.

The Lens of Revelation began to glow. "You don't believe that." The lens stopped glowing, and she looked into his eyes. "You don't think you can win."

"Yugi is a better duelist than I am," he said, the smile fading from his face. "I don't deny that. He's probably already figured out a way to counter my manacle. I know I probably can't win, but there is a chance." He ran his fingers through her hair, and the smile returned to his face. "I'll come back to you. Just tell me I'll win. That's all I need."

The lens began to glow again. "You're going to win," she said as the lens stopped glowing. He closed his eyes and leaned in to kiss her again. She put her arms around him as she met his lips with her own. After a few seconds, he vanished from her arms, never having broken the kiss. As she lowered her arms to her sides, a tear streamed down her face. Hugging his cloak close to her body, she prayed that the lie she just told him would be enough to help him win.

----

The group rode the elevator up out of Kaiba's vault, each confident that their decks were stronger than ever. All except one. "I still don't understand why I can't at least make my deck stronger," said Amara, slightly annoyed with her father.

"I've told you already," said Kaiba. "I don't want you to have anything to do with this."

"But…"

"Enough. You have no reason to upgrade your deck because you won't be dueling any of them." He softened his voice. "Don't misunderstand me, Amara. I just want to make sure you're safe. We can handle this. You just worry about staying out of harm's way."

Amara crossed her arms. "Fine."

"Once this is all over, I'll make sure you become a duelist who doesn't need some magical artifact to be skilled, but for right now, let us handle this." The elevator came to a stop and the doors opened, allowing the group to step out into the lobby of Kaiba Corp.

Tristan looked out through the glass doors. "It's getting late," he said. "We should probably head home and get some rest."

"I agree," said Marik. "We need to be ready for when Zorc decides to attack." The group proceeded through the glass doors and out of Kaiba Corp. They barely got two feet away from the building before they heard a voice.

"Took you long enough." The group turned to see a man leaning against the wall of Kaiba Corp. His dark-blue armor covered most of his body. His arms and head, however, were bare, and his dark-blue hair was slicked back. His eyes were a crimson red, and he wore a black duel disk on his left arm.

"He must be one of the other Egyptian Gods," said Mako.

"I don't think so," said Yugi, gesturing to the man's left arm. "That's the Manacle of Obedience."

"Then that's Apophis?" asked Mokuba.

"I'm so glad you remember me," said Apophis, standing away from the wall. "My last appearance was merely a disguise. This is my true form."

"What do you want, Apophis?" asked Yugi.

"Zorc has given me the task of testing your strength, Yugi. I also have my own personal score to settle with you."

"Very well, Apophis. Let's settle this once and for all."

"With this duel, the final phase of this war has begun." They raised their disks, and the life-point meters flashed 4000. "Let's duel."


	17. Taking Control Pt 1

**Chapter 17**

"I'll go first," said Yugi, drawing his card. "First, I'll place one card face-down, and then I'll summon Big Shield Gardna in defense mode." The monster appeared on his side of the field, holding its giant shield in front of itself, and the defense meter flashed 2600. "Make your move."

Apophis drew his card. "I'll start my turn by summoning my Armored Lizard in attack mode." The blue lizard appeared on his side of the field, and the attack meter flashed 1500. "Next I'll use my Manacle of Obedience to take control of your monster." He raised his arm, and the eye on the manacle began to glow. Yugi's monster stood up, walked over to Apophis' side of the field, and turned to face Yugi. "How foolish of you to leave yourself open to my attack." He gestured toward Yugi. "Armored Lizard, attack his life-points directly." The lizard leapt forward, bringing its claws down on Yugi. He groaned in pain as the attack struck, and his life-point meter fell to 2500.

Yugi recovered from the attack. "You seem more serious than last time, Apophis."

"The last time we dueled, I was merely buying time for Zorc. This time, I have a reason to win." He took a card from his hand. "Next I'll place a card face-down, and end my turn."

"My move," said Yugi, drawing his card. "First, I'll activate my Swords of Revealing Light." Several swords composed of golden light fell from the sky, creating a barrier around Apophis' side of the field. "Next I'll summon Beta the Magnet Warrior in attack mode." The small, yellow monster appeared on his side of the field, and the attack meter flashed 1700. "That's all for now."

"This duel is beginning to look oddly familiar," said Apophis, drawing his card. "First I'll place a card face-down, and then I'll take control of your monster." The manacle began to glow again, and Beta moved across the field, turning against its former master. "Unfortunately, I cannot attack you for three turns, so I'll have to end my turn."

Yugi drew his card, and frowned. _If I don't draw that card soon, I'm going to lose this duel. _He shifted his gaze back to Apophis. "I'll summon Alpha the Magnet Warrior in attack mode, and end my turn." A small, silver monster, composed entirely of magnets, appeared on his side of the field. It held a shield in one hand, and a sword in the other. The attack meter flashed 1400.

"Is this the king of games that I've heard so much about?" asked Apophis, drawing his card. "I'll take your monster, and place one more card face-down." Alpha crossed the field, and the face-down card appeared.

"My turn," said Yugi, drawing. "I summon Gamma the Magnet Warrior in attack mode." A small, round, pink monster appeared on his side of the field. A magnet surrounded its neck, and it had two small wings. The attack meter flashed 1500.

"This duel won't be the same as last time," said Apophis, drawing his card. "There's no Egyptian God card to save you this time." He looked at his hand. "First I'll sacrifice your Big Shield Gardna to summon my Bitelon." The long-necked monster appeared on his side of the field, and the attack meter flashed 2400. "Next, your monster is mine." The manacle glowed, and Gamma crossed the field to join Apophis' army. "As soon as I end my turn, your swords will fade, and I will be free to attack you." He smiled wickedly. "My turn is done." The golden swords vanished from the field.

_Heart of the cards, guide me. _He drew his card, and smiled. "You're right, Apophis. This isn't going to be the same as last time, for I have discovered a way to defeat the Manacle of Obedience."

Apophis laughed, trying to mask his fear. "I'm afraid that that's not possible, Yugi."

Yugi smiled. "At first, I didn't think so, either, but there is a card, one card in the entire game, that can counter your Shadow Item's hypnotic power."

"Is it true, Seto?" asked Serenity. "Does a card like that really exist?"

"Even I have never heard of a card like that, but Yugi is the greatest strategist in the world. He has defeated me, the Millennium Items, the mighty Exodia, and even the Egyptian God cards. There is nothing that Yugi cannot defeat."

"That's where you're wrong, Kaiba," said Apophis, dividing his attention. "I am as ancient as this very game, and no power exists that can counteract the Shadow Items."

"We'll see about that," said Yugi, holding up the card. "I activate the magic card Owner's Seal. For the rest of this duel, the monsters on the field will only obey their true owner." The Magnet Warriors returned to Yugi's side of the field, ready to attack Apophis for making them betray their master.

Apophis smiled. "It looks like I'll just have to take them back." He raised his arm, and the eye on the manacle glowed a bright red, utilizing all of its power to take back the three monsters. However, a mystical symbol, composed of four circles, each containing a triangle and various other symbols, and a glowing symbol at the center, appeared in front of Yugi's field, blocking the effects of the manacle. Apophis' eyes widened. "It's not possible."

"Accept it, Apophis," said Yugi. "I have countered your greatest weapon. Now you will have to rely on your skill as a duelist to win this battle. Now I'll activate the Magnet Warriors' special ability, and combine them to form Valkyrion the Magna Warrior." The three monsters broke down into smaller parts, combining together to form the larger monster. The great silver monster pointed its sword at Apophis, and the attack meter flashed 3500. "Now, Apophis, say goodbye to your Bitelon." He turned to his monster. "Valkyrion, destroy his monster." The Magna Warrior's sword became charged with electricity, and the monster lunged forward, ready to strike.

Apophis smiled. "You may have stopped me from taking control of your monsters, but you haven't stopped my manacle completely. I can still use it on my monsters." He raised his arm, once again tapping into the power of the manacle. "I'll use my power to switch both of my monsters to defense mode." The Armored Lizard and Bitelon shifted to defense mode, and the defense meter flashed 1200 and 1000 respectively. "This way at least my life-points are safe," he said as Valkyrion brought its sword down on his Bitelon, destroying it.

"Your Shadow Item won't protect you forever, Apophis," said Yugi as his monster returned to his field. "That ends my turn."

Apophis drew his card. "Excellent," he said. "Just the card I was hoping for. Now I'll summon my Don Turtle in defense mode." A strange turtle appeared on his side of the field. It had a red symbol painted on its shell, and it was withdrawn into its shell. Its yellow eyes glowed and the defense meter flashed 1200. "This is a very special monster. When I summon it, I can summon two more from my hand." Two more turtles appeared on his side of the field, and the defense meter flashed 1200 for both. "Next, I'll place a card face-down, and end my turn."

Yugi drew his card. "First I'll place a card face-down, then I'll have Valkyrion attack your Armored Lizard." The giant monster jumped across the field, bringing its sword down on the blue reptile. The monster was destroyed, sending shockwaves past Apophis. "That ends my turn."

Apophis drew his card. "First I'll sacrifice two of my Don Turtles to summon my most powerful monster." Two of the turtles vanished, enveloped by swirling winds. The two cyclones merged together, then dissipated, revealing the giant reptile within. It was taller than Valkyrion, with muscles so large that they were nearly bursting out of the skin. It wore sharp, silver armor on its arms, legs, and chest, and it roared as the attack meter flashed 2950. "Behold the Gogiga Gagagigo. This is the most powerful card I own, and once I increase its strength, even your Valkyrion will be no match. Now I'll activate one of my face-down cards." He raised the card. "Energy Drain. Now my monster's attack and defense power will increase by 200 points for each card in your hand." His monster began to absorb energy from the three cards in Yugi's hand, and the attack meter rose to 3550. "Next I'll switch my Don Turtle to attack mode, and I'll have my Gogiga Gagagigo attack your Valkyrion." The turtle shifted to attack mode, and the attack meter flashed 1100. Then the giant lizard lunged at the silver monster, raising its claws as it prepared to strike.

"Not so fast, Apophis," said Yugi, raising one of his face-down cards. "I activate the magic card De-Fusion. This card will allow me to split my monster back into its three parts." The large, silver monster separated into the three smaller monsters just as the lizards claws were about to strike it, narrowly avoiding the attack.

"Impressive," said Apophis, "but I've accomplished my goal. Say goodbye to Valkyrion. I activate the trap card known as Snake Fang. This card allows me to decrease the attack and defense of one of your monsters by 500 points, and I think I'll use it on your Gamma." A small, green snake appeared, wrapping itself around Gamma and biting through the monster's metal skin. The attack meter fell to 1000. "Now my Don Turtle will destroy your monster." The turtle began to spin around, then it moved toward the weakened monster with incredible speed. It slammed into Gamma, destroying it and reducing Yugi's life-points to 2400. "Finally, I'll activate the magic card Dark Snake Syndrome." When he activated the card, a snake tattoo appeared around Yugi's neck, the mouth open over Yugi's throat. Another appeared around Apophis' neck.

"What is that?" asked Yugi, gesturing toward the tattoo on Apophis' neck.

"You can't see it," said Apophis, "but there's one on you, too. At the beginning of each of my turns, we will both take damage. The first damage will be 200 points, but it will increase with each passing turn." He smiled. "That ends my turn." As he ended his turn, the reptile's attack power fell back to 2950.

Yugi drew his card. "First I'll sacrifice my two monsters to summon my Dark Magician." The two Magnet Warriors vanished, and a new monster appeared on Yugi's side of the field. This one wore purple robes and clutched a large green scepter. It raised the scepter and pointed it at Apophis as the attack meter flashed 2500.

"It seems that you've managed to summon your favorite monster," said Apophis. "Before you can attack with it, however, I'm going to switch my Don Turtle into defense mode." The manacle began to glow once again, and the turtle shifted to defense mode. The defense meter flashed 1200.

"That won't stop me from destroying it," said Yugi, turning to his monster. "Dark Magician, destroy his turtle with Dark Magic Attack." The magician thrust its scepter toward the turtle, and a surge of energy erupted from it, shattering the turtle. "Next I'll place a card face-down, and end my turn."

Apophis drew his card. "Now my Dark Snake Syndrome card activates, draining each of us of 200 life-points." The tattoos on their necks began to glow, and Apophis life-point meter fell to 3800 as Yugi's fell to 2200. "Now to deal with your monster." He turned to face his monster. "Gogiga Gagagigo, destroy his Dark Magician." The giant reptile leapt forward, its claws raised to slash the Dark Magician to pieces.

Yugi smiled. "You've fallen into my trap, Apophis. Reveal face-down card." He raised one of his cards. "Magic Cylinder. This card will reflect your attack right back at you." The two red cylinders appeared on the field, one directly in the path of Apophis' monster. The lizard disappeared into the cylinder, emerging from the other cylinder almost immediately, this time pointing its claws at Apophis. Apophis shielded his face with his arms as the attack struck him and brought his life-points down to 850.

Apophis lowered his arms. "That's the last time I'll underestimate you, Yugi." He examined his hand. "That's all for now."

Yugi drew his card and examined his hand. _I can't do anything with these cards,_ he thought. _I'll have to rely on my face-down Card Destruction. _He looked across the field. "Now, Apophis, I'll activate my face-down card." He raised the card. "Card Destruction. This card forces us to discard our hands, and then draw new ones." Yugi discarded the three cards in his hand, then drew three new ones from his deck.

Apophis chuckled. "You're a fool, Yugi," he said, revealing the only card in his hand. "You forgot all about my Electric Snake. Thanks to your Card Destruction, my Electric Snake's effect activates, allowing me to draw two new cards, which makes a total of three." He drew the cards.

Yugi frowned, then examined his hand. _At least I got something I can use. _He looked up. "Alright, Apophis. I'll set a card face-down, then I'll switch my Dark Magician to defense mode." The magician shifted to defense mode, and the defense meter flashed 2100. "That ends my turn."

Apophis drew his card. "Unfortunately, I cannot afford to lose any more life-points. So I'll activate my Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy my Dark Snake Syndrome before it activates." A swirling wind enveloped the card, destroying it. "Next I'll place a card face-down." He placed the card in his disk, but did not look back up at Yugi. Instead, he relaxed every muscle in his body, pausing the duel. "Tell me, Yugi," he said without looking up. "What are you fighting for?"

"What?" asked Yugi, surprised by the question.

"When I started this duel, I was still thinking only about obeying my master's wishes." He raised his head. "However, after taking the damage from your trap card, I started thinking about why I was fighting this duel, and I realized something. While Zorc is the reason I started this duel, my reason for winning is someone else entirely." He closed his eyes and pictured Nephthys' face. He smiled. "Yugi, I've known since our first duel that you are a much better duelist than I am. At first, I had no intention of winning this duel, but now I feel differently." He opened his eyes wide. "I realize now that I cannot lose this duel."

----

"He'll win," said Nephthys out loud, the Lens of Revelation glowing brightly as she hug Apophis cloak close to her body. She frowned as she felt the falsity of what she had said. "He'll come back," she said, trying again. She had been trying to reassure herself that Apophis would come back ever since he left, saying sentence after sentence, each one being proven false by the lens.

"Don't worry," said a voice behind her as she was about to try again.

She turned to see who had spoken. "Horus!"

"Apophis may be the weakest of us, but he is by far the smartest, and his love for you is quite powerful."

"How did you…?"

"I've known for a while," he said, interrupting her. "I've probably known longer than you have." He walked over to her and placed his hands on her shoulders. "Even if he is fighting for his life," he said, looking down at her, "he will never let go of his love for you." She returned his gaze. "Yugi may be more skilled than he is, and that lens of yours may be telling you that he won't come back, but you shouldn't lose hope." He smiled. "A person can have no greater strength than when they are fighting for the sake of someone else, someone they care about. The odds are against him, but he still has a chance." The lens began to glow, followed immediately by Horus' amulet.

Nephthys frowned as the lens stopped glowing. "Horus, why did you…?"

"Because you're better off not knowing," he said as the amulet stopped glowing. "I truly believe what I said, and that is all you need to know." He removed his left hand from her shoulder and moved his right hand to her cheek. "That lens will only bring you doubt. What you need is faith." He smiled again. "Just like Apophis needs your faith. Believe in him, and he can win." With that, Horus began to walk away."

"Horus…," she said, calling after him. He stopped walking, but said nothing. "Thank you."

----

"Now, Yugi," said Apophis, glaring across the field. "It's time for me to destroy your monster. Gogiga Gagagigo, destroy his Dark Magician." The giant reptile leapt forward once again, turning its claws on the magician.

Yugi smiled. "You've triggered my trap card, Apophis." He raised his face-down card. "It's called Magical Hats, and it will protect my Dark Magician from your attack." A black hat appeared on Yugi's side of the field, concealing his Dark Magician. It then separated into four hats just as the lizard brought its claws down, slashing one of the hats in half. "Sorry, Apophis, but my Dark Magician is still on the field, safely hidden beneath one of these three hats."

Apophis smiled. "I may have missed this time, but there are only three hats left. I will find your magician."

"We'll see," said Yugi, drawing. "Now I'll hide one card face-down beneath one of my hats, and end my turn."

"Do you think a face-down card scares me?" asked Apophis, drawing his card. "I'll place another card face-down, and then I'll have my monster attack the middle hat." The lizard jumped forward, piercing the hat with its claws and destroying it.

Yugi smiled. "I'm afraid you guessed wrong, Apophis, for not only did you fail to strike my Dark Magician, but the hat you attacked is the very hat under which I hid my Spellbinding Circle trap card. Not only can your monster no longer attack, but it also loses 700 attack points." The circle surrounded the lizard, and the attack meter fell to 2250.

Apophis frowned. "In that case I'll use my manacle to switch it into defense mode." The manacle glowed, and the monster shifted positions as the defense meter flashed 2800. "Though you may have weakened my lizard, it's still too strong for your Dark Magician to destroy."

"That's where you're wrong, Apophis," said Yugi, drawing his card. He smiled when he saw the card. _Just the card I was hoping for. _"Now, Apophis, I reveal my Dark Magician." The hats disappeared, and the magician appeared on Yugi's side of the field, once again in attack mode. "Next I'll activate the magic card Thousand Knives. While my Dark Magician is on the field, I can use this card to destroy one of your monsters." A thousand floating knives appeared around the Dark Magician. The monster then raised its scepter, pointing it at Apophis' lizard. As it did, the knives shot forward, impaling the giant reptile and destroying it. "That means your life-points are wide open, Apophis."

Apophis began to laugh wickedly. When he stopped, he said, "Not quite, Yugi, for you have just triggered my trap cards." He raised three of his face-down cards, and three monsters appeared on his side of the field. Each was the same, and each had the lower body of a snake. The upper body, however was that of a man. Most of the body was a dark blue, with the exception of the exposed underside, which was a bright purple. They wore blue chest-plates, each with a fearsome image on the front. Each monster held a shield in one hand and a sword in the other. The shields were each decorated by the eyes and fangs of a snake. The head of a snake extended from the back of each monster. The human head was covered by the thick blue skin, and the eyes flashed a bright red as the attack meter flashed 1600 for each of them. "Behold my Egyptian God cards. The Embodiments of Apophis! Now that I've summoned all three of them, you have no chance of winning this duel."


	18. Taking Control Pt 2

**Chapter 18**

"You may have summoned your Egyptian God cards, Apophis," said Yugi, "but they are too weak to stop my Dark Magician." He turned to his monster. "Now, Dark Magician, destroy one of his monsters with Dark Magic Attack!" The magician raised its scepter, pointing it straight at the center snake.

Apophis began to laugh maniacally. When he stopped, he said, "You really are a fool, aren't you? Do you think that I would summon them in attack mode if they didn't have a special ability?"

"And just what is their special ability?" asked Yugi.

"The reason there are three of them is because they combine into one." He raised his arm and pointed it outward, palm open towards his monsters. "Now witness the true form of the Embodiment of Apophis!" As he said this, the three snakes moved towards each other, fusing together. They merged to form a much larger monster. This one, though similar to the smaller three, was a much fiercer beast. It now stood on two legs, its tail now held in the air, balancing the monster. The shield it once held now formed the armor on its upper body, and it now had four arms instead of two, each ending in a set of sharp claws. The human head had disappeared, and the snake head had grown, with the hood of a cobra extending from the top of the head down to the base of the neck. It had glowing red eyes, and a large blue gem was embedded in its forehead. It bared its fangs and hissed as the attack meter flashed 2900. "Now, Embodiment of Apophis, counterattack with Gaze of Venom!" The snake's eyes began glowing a bright purple, glaring directly into the Dark Magician's eyes. The magician began to shake furiously, as if it were experiencing incredible pain. Purple lines began to extend from the magician's eyes, eventually covering its entire body. The magician let out a scream of pain as it exploded, sending shockwaves across the field and reducing Yugi's life-points to 1800. "Let's see if you can recover from such a devastating mistake," said Apophis as his monster disappeared, replaced by the smaller three.

"Just make your move," said Yugi.

Kaiba smiled. "Some mistake," he said.

"What do you mean?" asked Tea.

"Yugi didn't make a mistake. He decided to sacrifice his Dark Magician in order to discover those monsters' special ability." He smiled again. "And he succeeded."

"But he left himself completely open to attack," said Tristan. "He'll be destroyed in one attack."

"That's not true," said Joey. "Yugi never would have attacked if he wasn't holding the one card that can protect him."

Apophis drew his card. "Now to finish you off." He turned to his monsters. "Embodiments of Apophis, combine and wipe out his life-points with Gaze of Venom!" The three monsters merged together, and the new monster's eyes turned from red to purple, staring straight at Yugi. Just as the monster's attack was about to take effect, thousands of tiny, brown, furry monsters appeared on Yugi's side of the field. Each had wide, purple eyes and tiny, green hands and feet. The small monsters were destroyed, protecting Yugi's life-points from harm. "What happened?" asked Apophis as his three monsters returned to the field.

"Thanks to my Kuriboh," said Yugi, drawing his card, "my life-points were safe from your attack." He examined his hand. "I summon Gazelle, the King of Mythical Beasts in defense mode." The lion monster appeared on his side of the field, and the defense meter flashed 1200. "Next I'll place a card face-down, and end my turn."

"You seem to be running out of cards, Yugi," said Apophis, drawing. "This time I won't combine my monsters, but I will summon another one." He took a card from his hand. "I summon my Alien Hunter in attack mode." The blue lizard appeared, and the attack meter flashed 1600. "Now I'll have my Alien Hunter attack Gazelle." The reptile jumped forward, ready to impale the lion.

Yugi smiled. "You've just triggered my trap card." He raised the card. "Mirror Force. As I'm sure you remember, this card reflects your monster's attack right back at your monsters." A wall of light appeared in front of Yugi's monster, and the lizard brought its pitchfork down on the wall, unable to pierce it. The wall then proceeded outward, consuming the Alien Hunter and heading straight for the snakes.

Apophis smiled. "It may be too late for my hunter, but I can still save my God cards." The manacle began to glow, and the snakes switched to defense mode, the defense meter flashing 1800 for each of them. "Unfortunately for you, your trap card can only destroy attack position monsters." The wall of light moved past the snakes and disappeared, leaving the monsters unharmed. "Now I'll place one final card face-down, and end my turn."

Yugi drew his card, and smiled. "Now, Apophis, I activate the magic card known as Card of Sanctity. Now we both draw until we're holding six cards." Yugi drew the full six cards, and Apophis drew four. "Next I'll activate Monster Reborn to bring back my Dark Magician." The magician appeared on the field, and the attack meter flashed 2500. "Next I'll place a card face-down, and activate the magic card Mystic Box." Two black boxes appeared on the field, one open on Yugi's side of the field, the other surrounding one of the Embodiments of Apophis. Three sides of each box were composed of solid walls, each with many slits large enough for a sword to fit through. The fourth side of each box was composed of three panels, each with a question mark on the front. "First, I'll place my Dark Magician inside the box." The Dark Magician entered the box, and the panels closed over it. Large swords then appeared around the box, in perfect position to slide through the slits in the box. "Now I'll pierce the box with these swords." The swords moved forward, some slowly, some quickly, each one skewering the box.

Apophis smiled. "Do you think this trick will work on me?"

"Why don't we find out? Dark Magician, come forth." The Dark Magician emerged, unharmed, from the box on Apophis's side of the field. The box then disappeared.

"Let me guess," said Apophis. "My monster is in the box on your side of the field."

"Correct," said Yugi, opening the box. "And now that it's been destroyed, you can no longer summon your Egyptian God monster."

Apophis smiled again. "Take a closer look."

Yugi looked inside the box to see a beige snakeskin inside the box. Surprised, he looked across the field to see an Embodiment of Apophis slithering back to its owner's side of the field. "How did you do that?"

"It's quite simple," said Apophis. "I activated my Second Skin trap card. Not only does it protect one of my reptile monsters from attacks, but it can also protect them from card effects. Now it's my turn." He drew his card. "It's time for your Dark Magician to return to the graveyard. First I'll summon my Gigobyte in defense mode." The small reptile appeared, and the defense meter flashed 300. "Next, I'll combine my monsters to once again form my Egyptian God monster." The three snakes merged together. Apophis faced the God monster. "Now, destroy his Dark Magician with Gaze of Venom." The serpent locked its purple eyes on the magician, destroying it once again. Yugi blocked the shockwaves as his life-point meter fell to 1400. The giant snake then reverted to the three smaller ones. "As long as I have these three cards, your monsters will be completely at the mercy of my Egyptian God card."

_That's the second time he referred to the combined form as the Egyptian God card,_thought Yugi, drawing his card. _That must mean that the only way to destroy Apophis is to destroy his cards while they're combined. But I won't be able to beat him and his monster at the same time unless I lower his life-points a little more._ "Alright, Apophis. First I'll activate the magic card Brain Control, and I'll use it to take control of your Gigobyte." The small monster moved to Yugi's side of the field. "Next I'll sacrifice it to summon my Catapult Turtle in defense mode." The small monster disappeared, and a giant, mechanical turtle with a large catapult on its back replaced it. It aimed the catapult at Apophis as the defense meter flashed 2000. "Now, by launching my Gazelle past your monsters, half of its attack points will be deducted from your life-points." The lion monster moved to the launcher on the turtle's back, and the turtle activated its catapult, launching Gazelle past the snakes. It struck Apophis claws first, and Apophis groaned as his life-point meter fell to 100.

"Impressive trick," said Apophis, "but I'm still standing."

"We'll see," said Yugi. "Now I'll place one card face-down, and end my turn."

Apophis drew his card. "You've failed, Yugi. Now I'll activate my face-down card." He raised the card. "Level Conversion Lab." The container appeared on his side of the field, the Giga Gagagigo inside. "Now all that's left is to roll the die." The die at the base of the container began to spin.

"This isn't good, guys," said Mai. "If Apophis is able to summon that, then Yugi will lose this duel."

"Jeez, have a little faith in the guy," said Joey.

The die came to a stop, and the number four was facing outward. "Excellent," said Apophis. "Now come forth, Giga Gagagigo." The glass container began to crack, eventually shattering completely. The lizard stepped forward as the attack meter flashed 2450. "Now to summon my Egyptian God and finish you off." The three snakes combined again, forming the giant monster.

"You've fallen into my trap, Apophis. I activate the trap card Shadow Spell. Now I'll bind your God card and reduce its attack points by 700." Black chains shot from the trap card, surrounding the God card and forcing it to the ground. The attack meter fell to 2200 as the snake struggled against the chains. "As long as your monster is trapped, it can neither attack nor separate into the three smaller monsters."

"That won't stop me from switching it to defense mode," said Apophis, activating the manacle. The snake shifted to defense mode, and the defense meter flashed 4200.

Yugi took a step back in surprise. "Its defense power is that high?!"

"Yes," said Apophis. "Now say goodbye to your turtle. Giga Gagagigo, attack his monster." The lizard leapt forward, bringing its claws down on the turtle and slicing it to pieces. "That's all for my turn." As he said this, a purple gas began to seep out of the Embodiment of Apophis, eventually covering the field. Once the gas had surrounded the field, glowing purple cracks appeared in the skin of the Giga Gagagigo, as well as the chains of the Shadow Spell.

"What's going on?" asked Yugi.

"I'm sorry," said Apophis. "I forgot to tell you that the Embodiment of Apophis has another ability. You see, the venom running through its body is so corrosive that it prevents me from keeping it in its combined form for very long. In fact, I can only keep it in that form for a single move, and I can't combine them again for the rest of the turn. However, if the Embodiment of Apophis is forced to remain in its combined form, the venom in its body seeps out of its body in a gaseous form, infecting every face-up card on the field, and anything exposed to the gas for three of my turns is destroyed." He smiled. "Let's see you get out of this."

Yugi drew his card. _This isn't good, _he thought. _I may have more life-points, but Apophis still has a great advantage, and I'm running out of cards. _He looked at the card he drew. _Hopefully this will help me. _"I'll place one card face-down, and then I'll summon my Obnoxious Celtic Guardian in defense mode." An elf appeared on Yugi's side of the field, wearing ancient armor. A purple cape hung from its green armor, and it clutched a sword in its hands. The defense meter flashed 1200. "Now my life-points are safe."

"It's my turn," said Apophis, drawing. Now I'll summon my Alien Shocktrooper in attack mode." A green reptile appeared on his side of the field. It had the lower body of a gecko, with four webbed feet and a long tail. Its upper body was that of a man, and it wore black, spiked armor with four blue gems across the chest-plate. It held a large sword in its right hand, and it opened its yellow eyes as the attack meter flashed 1900. "Now I'll have it attack your Celtic Guardian." The Shocktrooper leapt forward, raising its sword in the process. As it brought the sword down, however, the Celtic Guardian moved its sword to block the attack, glancing it to the side as it moved past the alien. "Why wasn't your monster destroyed?"

"My Obnoxious Celtic Guardian cannot be destroyed by any monster with 1900 attack points or more."

"Very well," said Apophis as his monster returned. "I'll end my turn." The cracks in the Giga Gagagigo and the chains of the Shadow Spell grew larger, and the Shocktrooper and Celtic Guardian winced as cracks appeared on their bodies as well.

Yugi drew his card. "I'll place this face-down for later, and then I'll activate one of my other face-down cards." He raised the card. "I'm sure you remember my Final Resort trap card. If I have no cards in my hand, I can draw one new card for every 300 life-points I give up. So now I'll give up 1200 life-points to draw four new cards." His life-points fell to 200 as he drew four cards from his deck. He smiled when he saw one of the cards. "Now, since it was drawn from my deck by a card effect, I can summon my Watapon." A small, round, furry monster appeared on his side of the field. It was white, and had two antennae extending from its head. It opened its bright purple eyes as the defense meter flashed 300. "Next I'll sacrifice my two monsters to summon my Buster Blader." His two monsters disappeared from the field, replaced by a new monster, fully clad in purple armor. It slung its massive sword over its shoulder as the attack meter flashed 2600. "Now I'll have the Buster Blader attack and destroy your Giga Gagagigo." The monster lunged forward, raising its mighty sword.

"Before your monster can strike, I'll shift mine to defense mode." The manacle began to glow, and the lizard shifted to defense mode as the defense meter flashed 1500.

"That won't stop me from destroying it," said Yugi as the Buster Blader brought its sword down, slicing the reptile clean in two. "That ends my turn."

"Your Buster Blader won't protect you for long," said Apophis, drawing. "Soon my Egyptian God will be free." He looked at the card he drew. "Perfect." He turned to Yugi. "First I'll summon my Gagagigo in attack mode." The lizard appeared as the attack meter flashed 1850. "Next I'll activate the magic card Snake Pit. Now I can sacrifice my reptile monsters and destroy one monster whose level is one less than the combined level of the monsters I sacrifice. So now I'll sacrifice Gagagigo and Alien Shocktrooper to destroy your Buster Blader." A hole appeared on the field beneath the Buster Blader, and the monster fell in. The two reptiles then proceeded to jump in after it. After hearing several blows being struck, Yugi looked into the hole to see the two reptiles on the ground, beaten. The Buster Blader, however, was covered in slash marks, from both the claws of the Gagagigo and the sword of the Shocktrooper. All three monsters vanished at once, followed by the hole. "That ends my turn," said Apophis. Before Yugi could draw, however, the cracks on the Shadow Spell grew even wider, covering almost every inch of the chains before shattering them entirely, and the Egyptian God card hissed violently as it stood. It glared at Yugi as it and the gas vanished, replaced by the three smaller monsters. Apophis smiled. "It looks like my monster is finally free. Now there is no way you can possibly win this duel."

_He's wrong,_thought Yugi, examining his hand. _There is a way that I can win this duel. However, neither of these monsters will be able to protect me from his next attack. _He stared at his deck. _My only chance to win this duel is to draw the card I need this turn. _He placed his hand on his deck. _Heart of the cards, guide me._He drew the card, looked at it, and smiled. "It's time to end this, Apophis. Now I'll activate my face-down magic card." He raised one of the cards. "The Black Luster Ritual." Two rusted jars appeared on his side of the field, a crested panel between them. The panel lay on the ground, and the crest showed two swords crossed in front of a shield. "Now, by sacrificing my Queen's Knight and my Silent Magician, I can summon my Black Luster Soldier." The two monster's appeared on his side of the field, then a glowing light extended from each of the jars, sucking the monsters into the jars. Fire then emerged from each jar, and the panel lifted itself off the ground, the crest facing Apophis. The crest then began to glow yellow, and a monster emerged from the yellow light. This monster wore dark blue armor, outlined in gold. It had three horns extending backward from the helmet, and its red hair extended from the helmet as well. It held a shield with a menacing image in one hand, and a fearsome sword in the other. It lifted the sword to its face, then swung it down to its side as the attack meter flashed 3000. "This is my most powerful monster, Apophis, and with it, I will destroy your Egyptian God card." He turned to his monster. "Black Luster Soldier, attack and destroy one of his monsters." With that, the soldier leapt forward.

Apophis laughed. "You've just lost this duel." He turned to his monsters. "Embodiments of Apophis, combine!" The three snakes merged together once again, and the defense meter flashed 4200.

Yugi smiled. "That's exactly what I wanted you to do, Apophis."

Apophis stepped back, an expression of fear on his face. "What do you mean? The second your attack hits, your life-points will be reduced to 0."

"Normally that would be true," said Yugi. "However, I still have one more card to play. Now I activate my face-down magic card." He raised the card. "Chaos Blade!" The soldier's sword began to glow a dark black. "Your monster may have 4200 defense points, but it only has 2900 attack points, and my Chaos Blade magic card allows my Black Luster Soldier to destroy all of your monsters with less than 3000 attack points and inflict 500 points of damage to your life-points for each card destroyed. That means you're going back to the Shadow Realm." Yugi turned back to his monster. "Now, Black Luster Soldier, end this duel with Chaos Blade attack!" The soldier brought its black sword down on the snake, making a clean cut all the way to the field. It then jumped back, just before black flames covered the length of Apophis side of the field. The Egyptian God card hissed one more time before vanishing from the field, engulfed by the flames. The flames then proceeded to surround Apophis, and he screamed as his life-points fell to 0.

"He did it!" said Tea, excitedly. "He won!"

"Yeah!" said Joey. "I knew he could do it."

Apophis dropped to his hands and knees. "Well done, Yugi," he said, breathing heavily. _I'm sorry, Nephthys, _he thought. _He was just too good. _The Manacle of Obedience began to glow, and Apophis looked down at it in fear. "No," he said, struggling against the power of the manacle.

"What's happening?" asked Serenity.

"The manacle," said Marik. "It's taking his soul."

Apophis screamed as a whirlwind of shadow energy surrounded him. After a few seconds, it dissipated, revealing the Manacle of Obedience, as well as a full deck of cards, lying on the ground. Apophis had vanished entirely. Before anyone could react, Zorc appeared, laughing.

"Zorc!" said Yugi.

"Well done, Yugi," he said, still smiling. "I expected as much from you." He knelt to pick up the manacle.

"How does it feel," asked Kaiba, "knowing that we've defeated one of your minions?"

Zorc laughed again as he stood. "You haven't accomplished anything. In fact, my plans are proceeding ahead of schedule." With that, he vanished, laughing once again.

"What did he mean by that?" asked Kaiba, turning to Marik.

"I don't know," answered Marik, "but there's definitely something going on that we're not aware of."

"In any case," said Kaiba, turning away and walking toward Apophis' cards, "we shouldn't leave these just lying around." He began to sift through the cards.

"Kaiba," said Yugi, "this isn't the time for that."

"There may be cards in his deck that we can use."

"If that were the case, then Zorc would not have left them here."

"Well, we can at least make use out of the Egyptian…they're not here!"

"What?!"

"The Embodiments of Apophis. They're gone."

"They must have been consumed by the shadows," said Marik.

"What do you mean?" asked Kaiba, turning.

"Even though they are now cards, all Duel Monsters were once powerful creatures. The Embodiments of Apophis were always tied to Apophis himself. They were his creatures in ancient times, and are still a part of his power. The manacle must have sensed that and taken them with Apophis."

"If that's the case," said Yugi, "then it will be the same with the other Gods."

"Which means we won't be able to use any of the Egyptian God cards against Zorc," finished Kaiba.

"And with the power he has obtained," continued Yugi, "that puts us at a serious disadvantage."

----

"No!!!" screamed Nephthys, dropping to her knees. Tears streamed down her face. "He can't be gone! He just can't! He can't!" She continued wailing.

Horus stood behind her. He reached out and placed his hand on her shoulder. "Nephthys…" he began, but stopped and pulled his hand back in surprise when he felt a painful burning sensation in his hand. He examined his hand to see that he had been lightly burned. He looked up to see flames enveloping her body. At first he didn't know what he was seeing, but when he looked closer he could see it. Her anger and hatred had merged with her shadow energy to produce the fire that now covered her body. The flames grew brighter and brighter until Horus was forced to shield his eyes. He looked back once the flames had dissipated, and saw Nephthys standing there, no longer crying, but not smiling either. She opened her eyes and stared at Horus, who looked back in complete shock. Her eyes were cold and dark, completely empty, yet her whole being was screaming with rage. She stepped forward, and Horus stepped back, almost scared of the creature before him. As she walked past him, he felt her overwhelming hatred for the one who took her love from her. Her childish nature was gone, and she now cared about only one thing: revenge.


	19. Ancient History

**Chapter 19**

"You have to stop her, Zorc," said Horus, kneeling before his master. "She's too angry to think clearly. If you let her go, we'll lose another ally."

Zorc smiled. "Your guidance has always been very useful to me, Horus. However, I have no intention of stopping Nephthys. It's true that she's angry, and anger can be a powerful weapon."

"But…" started Horus, standing.

"Relax, Horus. She won't duel Yugi. She wants to make him suffer, so she'll duel his friends, defeating them one by one, until only Yugi remains."

"What about Kaiba?"

"She won't duel him either. She wants only Yugi's closest friends." He smiled again. "You have nothing to fear. Who besides Kaiba and Yugi could possibly figure out how to destroy her God card?"

--

"Aw, man, there's nothing here," said Joey, sorting through Apophis' cards. "Every last card is for reptile monsters."

"I didn't think there would be anything useful," said Yugi. He turned to face the rest of the group. "We need to figure out what we're going to do next."

"Agreed," said Kaiba. "We can't just sit here waiting for the next Egyptian God to attack." He crossed his arms. "We need to figure out which God is going to appear next."

"I can help you with that," said Nephthys from behind Yugi. The group turned to see who had spoken.

"Who are you?" asked Tristan.

Kaiba frowned. "She's one of the Egyptian Gods. Her name is Nephthys."

Yugi raised his disk. "If you have come to duel, then I'll be your opponent."

Nephthys lowered her head and smiled wickedly. "I don't want to duel you, Yugi." Her smile faded. "I want to make you suffer. You're going to pay for what you took from me."

"What's she talking about, Yugi?" asked Tea, but Yugi didn't answer. He already knew what she meant. He had already noticed the tattered cloak that she was wearing.

Nephthys continued. "I want you to know what it feels like to have every one of your friends taken from you."

Rebecca stepped forward. "You think we're just going to let you do that to Yugi?"

Nephthys smiled again. "I guess that means you're first," she said, raising her disk.

"Fine," said Rebecca, raising her disk in response. "I'll stop you right here." The life-point meters flashed 4000. "Let's duel."

--

Horus paced around his chamber, trying to decide what to do. _I don't care what Zorc says, _he thought._ If she duels in her current state, she'll be defeated. _He stopped pacing. "I have to stop her," he said aloud.

"Your concern for that girl is quite annoying."

Horus turned to see Ra leaning against the doorway. "What do you want?"

"Let it go," he said. "Her Egyptian God card is indestructible, so what possible reason could you have for worrying about her?"

"You wouldn't understand," said Horus, turning his back on Ra. "You've never cared about anything but yourself."

"Is that what you think?"

Horus frowned. His statement was wrong. There was one person that Ra cared about, but that didn't matter. That person was long dead. "I can't not worry."

Ra stood. "Fine, worry all you like." He turned to leave, then stopped. "She's not your daughter, you know." With that, he left.

Horus smiled at that. It was true that they were not related by blood. In fact, he was only a few years older than she was, but he couldn't help feeling the way he did about her. He had first met her back in ancient Egypt. He was already a member of the Pharaoh's personal guard, and she was a new recruit in the army, fresh out of training. He had been returning to his quarters from a meeting with the Pharaoh when he passed by the dueling field, and he looked out to see the newest group of soldiers practicing their dueling skills. He stopped walking when he spotted a young girl with a determined look in her eye dueling near the back. Her creature was a small, golden bird. After a few seconds he saw small flames coming from it and guessed it to be a phoenix. Her opponent was just another soldier, but his monster was fierce. It was humanoid, blue and purple with wings extending from its shoulders. It wielded a giant sword, and if it had eyes they were hidden beneath its armor.

"Time to end this," said the soldier. He motioned for his monster to attack, and the phoenix closed its eyes as the sword came down. The blue monster stopped the attack just before it struck, the sword coming to rest less than half a centimeter from the bird's head. The soldier walked across to the girl as the monsters disappeared. "Excellent job, Nephthys," said the soldier. "You're getting stronger."

"Thank you, sir," said Nephthys, smiling. "It was a good fight."

_Nephthys, _thought Horus. _It's a good name. _He looked at the soldier. The "sir" that Nephthys had given him must have meant that he was in charge of the group, the highest in the class. Horus looked back to the girl. He had no interest in the soldier. He walked over to Nephthys. "He's right, you know. That was impressive."

Nephthys looked to see who had spoken, then, her eyes widening, dropped to her knees and bowed before him. "Thank you, sir," she said, very formally. "I am deeply grateful for your praise."

Horus couldn't help but chuckle at that. "There's no reason to be so formal." He smiled. "Please, stand up."

"Forgive me," she said, still kneeling, "but I am not worthy to stand in the presence of the Black Flame of Egypt."

He rolled his eyes. "I wonder if I'll ever get used to that nickname," he said, still smiling. "Alright, if you won't stand…" He didn't finish his sentence. Instead, he sat down in front of her. Though she was surprised and a little amused, she dared not smile nor look him in the eye. Still smiling, he said, "Did you know that there was a time when I was right where you are now." She finally made eye contact. "Only, it wasn't some honored warrior standing before me."

"Who was it?" she said, forgetting herself in her growing interest in his story.

He smiled again. "It was the Pharaoh himself."

"Really?" she said. She abandoned her kneeling position and was now sitting in front of him.

"Oh, yes," he continued, happy that she had finally forgotten about their difference in rank.

"What did he say?"

"Believe it or not, he had actually come to personally invite me into his personal guard."

"Wow, really?" she said. She then looked down. "That kind of thing could never happen to me."

"Why not?"

"I don't have that kind of power."

"I think you have a lot more power than you realize." He stood. "Come on, let's have a duel."

"But I couldn't possibly defeat you."

"You can't know unless you try. Now summon your creature."

"Alright, here goes." She took a breath, then raised her arm. "I call forth my Sacred Phoenix." The small bird appeared again, ready to fight.

"I guess it's my turn," said Horus, raising his arm. A small, mechanical, bird-like monster appeared before him, its metal scales tinted with black.

"I thought your monster was much larger and stronger than this one," said Nephthys. "Or do you have another one?"

"No," he said. "No this is my only monster. Rather, this is what it looked like when I finished my training." He smiled. "This is what it looks like now." He widened his eyes, releasing his energy. A black fire surrounded his monster, and though Nephthys could not see the monster clearly anymore, she could see its shape as it grew to an immense size. She dropped to her knees in awe, losing her concentration and forcing her monster to vanish. Horus allowed his monster to disappear as well before the flames even dissipated. He walked over to Nephthys. "That is my monster's true form."

"Oh wow," she said, still shocked. "I've never seen a monster so fearsome."

"Then this is your first time seeing one of the Egyptian God monsters."

"The Egyptian God monsters?"

"Yes," he said, extending a hand to her. She took his hand, and he helped her to her feet. "At present there are five of us that command such power." He smiled again. "How would you like to be the sixth Egyptian God?"

"Me? An Egyptian God?"

"I can teach you how to control your power, to channel it into to your monster in order to release its true form." He looked up at where her monster had been. "I can see your monster's potential. With enough practice it could well become greater than mine."

"Do you really think I can do that?" she asked.

"I do," he said, looking at the sky. The sun was setting. He returned his gaze to her. "It's late. You should get some sleep."

"Alright," she answered.

He turned to leave. "Sleep well. Tomorrow, bright and early, I'll start your training."

"Yes sir," she said, watching him leave. She smiled. One of the Pharaoh's personal guard, the Egyptian Gods, was going to train her, and she was going to make him proud.

A few days later, Horus learned that both of Nephthys' parents had died when she was young, and he decided to do more than just train her. For the next few years, he looked after her, taking on the role of her father figure. He quickly grew fond of the girl. At times she was graceful, at others she could be a bit of a klutz, but she was always determined, always smiling. Nothing could lower her spirits. Two years after they met, another soldier became an Egyptian God. His name was Apophis, and, though they hadn't officially met, Nephthys confessed to Horus that she had a crush on Apophis. She said that it was his unique red eyes that attracted her to him. When they finally did meet, however, they did not get along. After about two months of nearly killing each other, the two finally became civil towards each other, though they still did not get along very well. Nephthys just couldn't understand why, every time she fought with Apophis, Horus was always standing off to the side, smiling.

After another four years of training, Nephthys was finally accepted into the Pharaoh's personal guard. She had finally become an Egyptian God. After a ceremony that lasted for about an hour, the Egyptian Gods celebrated their newest member.

"Congratulations," said Osiris.

"Thank you," said Nephthys.

"How does it feel to be an Egyptian God, to know you're one of the strongest warriors in Egypt?"

"Will you ever grow up, Osiris?" said Obelisk, fully clad in his armor.

"Probably not," he said, smiling.

Obelisk turned to Nephthys. "He's right though. Congratulations."

"Always knew she could do it," said Horus, walking up behind her. "Nephthys, there's someone else who wants to congratulate you." He stepped aside, and Nephthys frowned when she saw Apophis.

Apophis noticed the frown, but ignored it. "I may not like you very much," he said, "but I respect the power you have. It's good to have you on the team."

Nephthys smiled. "Well, thanks."

_They're actually having a civilized conversation, _thought Horus as he walked to the back of the room. _My instincts may have been right about them after all. _He crossed his arms and leaned against the wall, a few feet away from Ra, who had his eyes closed. "So where's Anubis?" he asked.

"The Pharaoh gave him a special assignment a few days ago." He opened his eyes. "He should be back soon."

"I'm a little surprised you showed up. You doubted she'd ever make it in."

"That is exactly why I'm here. I doubted the Gods' plan for her, and this is my penance." He lifted himself from the wall. "I think I've stayed long enough."

"You never were one for a conversation."

"I guess I've just lost interest in the lives of others," said Ra, turning to leave. "The Egyptian Gods, the Pharaoh, the kingdom of Egypt. I just don't care anymore." He lowered his head. "Make no mistake, the only thing that matters in this world is power."

Horus shifted his gaze from Ra to Nephthys. "Don't you have anyone you care about?"

Ra looked out at Nephthys. "I used to," he said, a painful smile on his face. He shifted his gaze straight ahead. "Do yourself a favor. Throw your feelings for that girl away."

"I don't think I can do that," said Horus, his gaze still locked on Nephthys.

"She's not your daughter, you know," said Ra, leaving.

"That doesn't change how I feel about her," Horus said aloud, ending his thoughts about the past. He opened his eyes. He lifted his amulet into his gaze, looking deep into the red eye of the symbol. _Even if she is angry, _he thought, _she still has her lens. Ra's right. I have nothing to worry about._


	20. Fury of the Phoenix

**Chapter 20**

"Why don't I start things off?" said Rebecca, drawing her cards. "I think I'll begin by summoning my Giant Rat in defense mode." A large rat with gray fur appeared on her side of the field. Its bright yellow eyes flashed as the defense meter flashed 1450. "Next I'll place two cards face-down and end my turn."

Without a word, Nephthys drew her card. "I'll place a card face-down, and then I'll summon my Birdface in attack mode." The armored monster appeared on her side of the field, and the attack meter flashed 1600. "Next I'll have it attack your rodent." The bird leapt across the field, impaling the rat with its beak, destroying it.

"Oh, no!" said Rebecca. "You've destroyed my monster. What ever will I do?"

Joey flinched, turning slowly to Yugi. "She's still doing that?" Yugi didn't answer. He just shook his head.

Nephthys smiled, lowering her head. "Cute," she said, "but I'm afraid that tactic won't work on me, my dear." She raised her head. "You know as well as I do that, when your monster is destroyed, you can summon another earth monster from your deck, so long as it has 1500 attack points or less. Now go ahead and summon one."

Rebecca frowned. "Fine. I think I'll summon my Millennium Shield in defense mode." A large, golden shield shaped like a triangle appeared on her side of the field. It was curved on the sides, and three blue jewels adorned the top of the red face of the shield, one in the center, the other two in the corners. The Millennium Symbol sat just below the center jewel, covering the front of the shield. The defense meter flashed 3000. "Now let's see you deal with this monster."

Nephthys shrugged. "I'd love to, but sadly I must end my turn."

Rebecca frowned again._I'm almost positive that she has a way to defeat my Millennium Shield, _she thought, _and yet she chose to end her turn. _She looked across the field._ I'll bet it's that face-down card. I have to destroy it before she can use it. _She drew her card. "Alright, Nephthys, I'll start by activating Tribute to the Doomed. By discarding one card from my hand, I can destroy one monster on your side of the field. Now say goodbye to your Birdface." Long bandages shot out from the field beneath the bird monster, wrapping tightly around its arms and legs. The monster struggled as its armor cracked, and the bandages proceeded to pull it into the ground. Just before the monster's lower body was completely consumed by the earth, the armor cracked open, and a new monster sprang from the shell of the former monster. This one had long, pink hair and green, winged arms, and it wore a purple body suit. The attack meter flashed 1300, then rose to 1600 as the old monsters remains were pulled completely beneath the ground.

Nephthys smiled. "As you've probably already figured out, when my Birdface is destroyed, I can summon a Harpie monster from my deck, and I've chosen to summon Harpie Lady #1, as it grants each wind monster on the field an additional 300 attack points."

"I thought you might summon that one," said Rebecca, "but I had to be sure. Next I'll summon Witch of the Black Forest in defense mode." A humanoid monster appeared on her side of the field. It had purple hair and wore a black robe, and two small wings extended from its hair. It had a third eye in the center of its forehead, and it opened as the defense meter flashed 1200. "That ends my turn."

Nephthys drew her card. "Perfect." She shifted her gaze to Rebecca. "Now I'll activate the magic card Harpies' Hunting Ground. This card increases the attack and defense points of every winged beast monster on the field by 200." The attack meter for Harpie Lady #1 rose to 1800. "Also, every time I summon a Harpie Lady, I can destroy one of your magic or trap cards."

"So she is a Harpie duelist," said Mai, clenching her fist.

"Huh?" asked Serenity.

"I've been wondering since she played Birdface whether or not she used a Harpie deck or if she just had one. The fact that she played that magic card means that her deck is full of Harpies. Now that I no that, I want to face her. I hope Rebecca wins, but at the same time, I just have to face her."

"Don't worry," Nephthys said to Mai. "You'll get your chance." She turned back to Rebecca. "This little girl is no match for me."

"Who do you think you're calling a little girl?"

Nephthys ignored Rebecca. "Next I'll summon Harpie Lady #2 in attack mode." Another Harpie appeared on her side of the field. This one was identical to the first, except it had short, orange hair. It screeched as the attack meter flashed 1300, rising then to 1800. "And since Harpies' Hunting Ground is in play, I think I'll destroy one of your face-down cards." The new Harpie jumped forward, bringing her talons down on the left-hand face-down card, destroying it. "Next I'll activate Elegant Egotist. As much as I would like to destroy your witch with Harpie Lady #2, since it negates the effects of the monsters it destroys, I can't afford to waste this opportunity, so I'll use Elegant Egotist to transform Harpie Lady #2 into the Harpie Lady Sisters." The Harpie Lady #2 disappeared from the field, replaced by three Harpies. The first was identical to the Harpie Lady #2, and the second was identical to the Harpie Lady #1 that was still on the field. The third looked just like the other two, except that it had blue hair, which was spiked straight back. All three were now wearing golden armor, and each clutched a thorny whip. The attack meter flashed 1950, quickly rising to 2450. "Next I'll activate the magic card Triangle Ecstasy Spark. This card increases the basic attack power of every Harpie Lady Sisters card on my side of the field to 2700 until the end of the turn." The attack meter for the Harpie Lady Sisters rose again to 2700, then again to 3200. "And, thanks to Triangle Ecstasy Spark, you can't activate a single trap card for the rest of the turn, so now I'll have my Harpie Lady Sisters attack and destroy your Millennium Shield." The three Harpies jumped forward, slamming their whips into the shield and shattering it. "And now my Harpie Lady #1 will destroy your witch." The single Harpie flew forward, plunging its talons into the witch. Rebecca's monster screamed as it was destroyed.

"You may have destroyed both of my monsters, but thanks to my witch's special ability, I can take a new monster from my deck and add it to my hand, so long as it has less than 1500 defense points."

Nephthys smiled. "Go ahead. Take whatever monster you want. Soon I'll summon my Egyptian God card, and then every card you play will be completely worthless!"

----

Horus walked through the halls of Zorc's massive temple, heading towards his master's chamber. Though he tried not to worry, his concern for Nephthys had grown too great. He walked through the door to Zorc's chamber to find him sitting on his throne as usual. "Ah, Horus," said Zorc. "I must admit that I expected you a little sooner."

Horus walked forward a few more feet before kneeling. "I have come to ask for permission to go after Nephthys. I know that she is strong, but I cannot stop worrying about her."

"I understand your concern," replied Zorc, "but I'm afraid your energy is misplaced." Horus began to say something, but Zorc gave him a look that silenced him. "I think I have something that will take your mind off of Nephthys."

"Sir?"

"I have a mission for you, Black Flame of Egypt."

"I am yours to command, my lord," he said, bowing. "What are your orders?"

"I believe that Ra is plotting against me. I'm sure you have already noticed that he left this temple without orders. I want you to find out what he's up to." The smile faded from Zorc's face. "Track him down, follow him until you learn his objectives, and report back to me."

"It will be done," said Horus. He bowed once more, then stood and turned, ready to leave.

"Oh, one more thing," said Zorc.

"Yes, my lord?"

"Take Obelisk with you, in case Ra doesn't feel like letting you return. One on one, neither of you is a match for him, but if the two of you take him on, you shouldn't have too much trouble taking him down."

"I prefer to work alone on missions like this, but, if that is your wish, I will not argue." With that, he left the chamber.

_Everything is going according to my plans, _thought Zorc, smiling. He pulled back the right sleeve of his coat, revealing the Manacle of Obedience on his wrist. _Not one of the Egyptian Gods realizes the true purpose of the Shadow Items. _He looked out into the hallway, frowning. _The one thing that concerns me is Horus. His power is growing much quicker than I expected, and if he gets too strong he could pose a threat to my plans. _He smiled again. _No matter. I'll wait and see what happens with Ra before I decide what to do with Horus. Besides, it'll be interesting to see how Horus reacts when Nephthys is defeated._

_---- _

"It's my move," said Rebecca, drawing her card. "First I'll activate Monster Reborn to bring back my Millennium Shield." The monster appeared, and the defense meter flashed 3000. "Then I'll summon Sangan in defense mode and end my turn." The three-eyed monster appeared on her side of the field, its green claws covering its face, and the defense meter flashed 600.

Nephthys sighed. "And after I went through all the trouble of destroying that thing." She drew her card. "I didn't want to use this yet, but it seems I have no choice. Reveal face-down card." She raised the card. "Icarus Attack. Now, by sacrificing one winged beast monster, I can destroy two cards on the field. So now I'll sacrifice my Harpie Lady #1 to destroy both of your monsters." A ray of light came down from the sky, striking the Harpie. It then extended from the Harpie to Rebecca's monsters, destroying all three.

Rebecca shielded her face as the shockwaves blew past her. "Now that you've destroyed my Sangan, its special ability activates, allowing me to add one monster from my deck to my hand, as long as its attack power is less than 1500." She searched her deck. "I'll take this one," she said, taking a card from her deck.

Nephthys continued her turn. "Now I'll summon a monster known as the Hand of Nephthys." A new monster appeared on her side of the field. It was human, female, and it wore gold and orange robes, as well as a golden headdress shaped like a phoenix. The attack meter flashed 600. "Next I'll use its special ability. By sacrificing it and one other monster on my side of the field, I can summon my Egyptian God card."

"What?!" exclaimed Rebecca.

"Hey Marik, can she really do that?" asked Tristan.

"Unfortunately, yes," answered Marik. "Several of the Egyptian God cards have support cards." He frowned. "I just didn't realize there was one this powerful."

Kaiba shifted his gaze to Yugi. "We may have problem here, Yugi."

"What do you mean?"

"When I saw this woman duel on Duel Academy Island, she was the most childish duelist I'd ever seen. One of the strongest duelists at the academy couldn't even scratch her, and she was toying with him the whole duel." He returned his gaze to the duel. "I don't know what you did to her, but she's completely serious now. I hate to admit this, but if one of us doesn't step in, we may lose everyone here."

"You're right, Kaiba," said Yugi, clenching his fist, "but as long as she doesn't agree to duel us, there's nothing we can do."

_Yugi's suffering is already beginning, _thought Nephthys, listening to their conversation. She smiled wickedly. _That means he'll feel that much worse when I've sent all of his friends to the Shadow Realm! _She returned her focus to the duel. "Now I'll sacrifice my Hand of Nephthys and Harpie Lady Sisters to summon the Sacred Phoenix of Nephthys!" The Hand of Nephthys uncrossed its arms, placing its hands in front of it, less than a foot apart, concentrating hard as if focusing energy. The Harpie Lady Sisters then burst into flames, screaming as they were consumed by the fire. The flames then swirled together between the other monster's hands, condensing into a small ball of fire. The fireball then began to grow, consuming the Hand of Nephthys in the process. It grew until it covered half of Nephthys' side of the field. The fireball then began to change shape, shifting from a sphere to the shape of a phoenix. The fire screeched before dissipating, revealing the Egyptian God monster. The attack meter flashed 2400, then rose to 2600. "Now to attack your life-points directly." She turned to her monster. "Sacred Phoenix of Nephthys, attack with Eternal Flame!" Fire covered the God card's entire body, then shot towards Rebecca in the shape of a phoenix. Rebecca groaned as the attack struck, and her life-point meter fell to 1400. "How does it feel to be struck by my phoenix?"

"Pretty good, because now I can activate my trap card." She raised her face-down card. "It's called Damage Condenser, and by discarding one card from my hand, I can summon a monster from my deck whose attack power is less than the damage I just took. So now I'll discard one Cannon Soldier to summon another." A strange machine with a giant glass tube in the middle appeared on her side of the field, and several streams of energy began to flow from Rebecca into the machine. Bolts of electricity began running through the tube, and a shape began to form inside. In a flash of electricity, the machine disappeared from the field, leaving behind a purple, mechanical monster with yellow shoulder pads. It had silver claws at the end of each hand, as well as a cannon on its back. It aimed the cannon at Nephthys as the attack meter flashed 1400.

"I was expecting something stronger," said Nephthys, smiling.

"Don't worry," said Rebecca, smiling. "This monster will be more than enough." She drew her card. "First I'll activate Pot of Greed, allowing me to draw two cards from my deck." She drew the cards. "Then I'll sacrifice my Cannon Soldier to summon my favorite monster." The cannon soldier vanished from the field, replaced by a green monster with five legs. Its eight red eyes glowed as the attack meter flashed 1600, rising quickly to 2300. "Hm, looks like my Shadow Ghoul's not quite strong enough. Oh well. I'll just place a card face-down and end my turn."

"Do you really think I'm gonna fall for that trick?" asked Nephthys, drawing. She turned to her monster. "Sacred Phoenix, destroy her Shadow Ghoul." The phoenix launched another blast of fire, this time at Rebecca's monster.

"Looks like you did fall for it," said Rebecca, raising her face-down card. "I activate Mirror Force. This card negates your attack and destroys all of your attack position monsters." The wall of light extended from the trap card, enveloping the fire as well as the Egyptian God card. When the light cleared, the phoenix had disappeared from the field. "Now that your phoenix is gone," said Rebecca, turning the last card in her hand around so Nephthys could see it, "all that's left is to summon my Luster Dragon and finish you off."

Nephthys started laughing. When she stopped, she said, "Do you think it's that easy to get rid of my monster?" She raised her arms, gesturing toward the field. "Come forth from the ashes, Sacred Phoenix of Nephthys!" As she said this, flames erupted from the ground, encircling the field and consuming the Harpies' Hunting Ground magic card in the process. The flames merged together into the shape of the phoenix, dissipating to reveal the resurrected God card. The attack meter flashed 2400. "On my next turn…" Nephthys returned her gaze to Rebecca. "…you will lose this duel. Now I place a card face-down, and end my turn."

Rebecca drew her card._That's not the card I needed, _she thought. "First I'll switch my Shadow Ghoul to defense mode, and then I'll summon my Luster Dragon #1 in defense mode." The defense meter flashed 1300 as the Shadow Ghoul switched positions, and a small, blue dragon appeared on Rebecca's side of the field. It was covered in sapphires, and its red eyes flashed as the defense meter flashed 1600. "That's all for my turn."

Nephthys drew her card. "Time to end this little game. First I'll activate my face-down card." She raised the card. "It's called Phoenix Wing Wind Blast, and it allows me to return one of your cards to the top of your deck, so long as I discard one card from my hand. So now I'll return your Luster Dragon to your deck." She discarded one of the two cards in her hand, and her phoenix flapped its wings, sending a powerful gust of wind across the field. The wind collided with the dragon, sending it off the field and back to Rebecca's deck. "Next, I'll summon my Harpie's Brother in attack mode." A humanoid monster with spiky black hair appeared on her side of the field. It wore gray pants and a brown leather jacket, as well as a red mask on its face. It had red wings extending from its back, and it wore three long, red blades on its right arm. The attack meter flashed 1800. "This is the end for you. Harpie's Brother, attack and destroy her Shadow Ghoul." Obeying its master's command, the monster flew forward, bringing its blades down through the Shadow Ghoul and slicing it to pieces.

"Oh, no!" said Yugi.

"She's completely defenseless," said Serenity.

"Now, Sacred Phoenix of Nephthys, finish her off with Eternal Flame!" The fire surrounded the Phoenix once again, and it screeched as it launched its attack. Rebecca shielded her face with her arms as the phoenix-shaped fire struck her and reduced her life-points to 0.

"I lost," said Rebecca, dropping to her knees as the monsters disappeared.

Nephthys pulled back her hair, revealing her Shadow Item. "And to think I didn't have to use the Lens of Revelation to defeat you." The lens began to glow.

"Stop right there, Nephthys!" shouted Yugi.

"There's nothing you can do, Yugi. Her soul is mine." A swirl of shadow energy surrounded Rebecca, and she screamed as her soul was sucked from her body. Her soulless body collapsed as the shadow energy faded, and Nephthys smiled as the lens stopped glowing, letting her hair fall back into place. "How does it feel, Yugi, knowing one of your friends is trapped in the Shadow Realm?"

Yugi groaned angrily. "Alright, Nephthys," he said, raising his duel disk. "Let's settle this right now." Before Nephthys could respond, Mai stepped between them.

"Yugi, let me take her on," she said, keeping her gaze fixed on Nephthys.

"But, Mai…"

"Relax, I can handle her." Yugi lowered his disk, knowing that this was something that Mai had to do.

"Told you you'd get your chance," said Nephthys, smirking.

Mai took a few steps forward, then raised her disk. "Let's find out who the better duelist is."

"Bring it on," said Nephthys.

"Be careful, Mai," said Joey.

"Don't worry, Joey. I'll be fine." She returned her gaze to Nephthys as the life-point meters flashed 4000. "Let's duel."


	21. In a Harpie World Pt 1

**Chapter 21**

"Why don't I kick things off?" said Nephthys, drawing her cards.

"Go right ahead," said Mai. "Let's see if your skill with Harpie cards is a match for mine."

Nephthys smiled. "Well, if you're that confident, then I'll do you a favor. I'll place a single card face-down, and leave myself completely open for your attack." The card appeared on the field.

"Looks like I'm not the only one that's confident," said Mai, drawing, "but you better not underestimate me if you don't want to lose."

"Oh, please. How are you going to beat me?"

"Like this. I summon my Birdface in attack mode." The blue monster appeared as the attack meter flashed 1600. When she saw the monster, Nephthys began to laugh. "What's so funny?" asked Mai.

Nephthys stopped laughing to answer. "What's so funny is that you played the exact card that I wanted you to. You see, you've just triggered my trap card." She raised her face-down card. "It's called Harpie's Vanity Mirror." A full-length mirror appeared on her side of the field. It had a golden frame with wings extending down from the top two corners. "Since you're such an expert of Harpies, I'm sure you know that whenever you play a card, I can play the same card if I have it in my hand. So now I'll summon my own Birdface." The blue monster appeared in the mirror, then screeched and stepped through the glass, taking its place on the field as the attack meter flashed 1600. "So, what are you gonna do next?" asked Nephthys, grinning.

"Actually, I'm going to attack your monster with mine." Not waiting for a direct command, Mai's monster leapt across the field, ready to bury its claws in the other monster. Nephthys' Birdface responded with a counterattack, raising its claws to meet Mai's monster. The two ripped into each other, destroying themselves and revealing the Harpies that each duelist had chosen to summon. Mai chose to summon her Harpie Lady. It had long, pink hair and wore a purple body-suit with blue lining. Nephthys, on the other hand, chose to summon Harpie Lady #3. Similar to her other Harpies, this one had blue, spiky hair. Both attack meters flashed 1300. "That worked perfectly. Now I'll activate my Elegant Egotist, turning one Harpie into three." Two more Harpies appeared on her side of the field, each clad in golden armor, and the attack meter flashed 1950.

"Thank you so much," said Nephthys. "Now, thanks to my mirror, I'll activate my own Elegant Egotist to summon my own Harpie Lady Sisters." The magic card that Mai had just played appeared in the mirror, and two more Harpies took their place on Nephthys' side of the field as the attack meter flashed 1950. "Now that that's taken care of, it's time to deal with your monster."

"What?!" exclaimed Mai.

"Just sit back and watch, because there's nothing you can do about this." She pulled her hair back, revealing the Lens of Revelation. It began to glow as Nephthys fixed her gaze on Mai's Harpie Lady Sisters. The lens flashed once, and the sisters disappeared from the field, leaving behind a single Harpie Lady. The attack meter flashed 1300.

"What did you do?" asked Mai, slightly panicked.

"I simply dispelled an illusion using the power of my Shadow Item, or didn't you know that that's all there is to the power of Elegant Egotist?"

"What just happened?" asked Tristan.

"That lens of hers allows her to counter any card based on illusions or falsehoods," answered Kaiba.

"She did the same thing to Darius," said Amara.

Mai frowned. "That doesn't matter. I'll still win, even without my Harpie Lady Sisters. For now, though, I'll just set two cards face-down and end my turn."

"If that's all you can do," said Nephthys, drawing, "then I'll win this duel in no time at all. I'll start my turn by summoning Neo-Spacian Air Hummingbird in defense mode." The red monster appeared on her side of the field, and the defense meter flashed 600. "Now I'll activate its special ability. Once per turn, I can gain 500 life-points for each card in your hand, which means I get an extra thousand right now." Her life-points rose to 5000. "Next I'll have my Harpie Lady Sisters attack your Harpie Lady." The three monsters raised their whips and lunged forward, ready to strike.

"Not so fast, Nephthys," said Mai. "I have a mirror of my own." She raised one of her face-down cards. "I activate the trap card Mirror Wall. This card reflects your monsters' attacks, cutting their attack points in half." A crystal wall rose up in front of Mai's monster, shielding it from the attack. The Harpies' whips struck the wall, and the attack meter fell to 975. "Now, Harpie Lady, destroy the Harpie Lady Sisters." The wall receded, revealing the Harpie Lady as it brought its claws down on the sisters, destroying them. Nephthys shielded her face from the shockwaves as her life-points fell to 4675. "It looks to me as though we're more evenly matched than you would like to believe."

Nephthys chuckled. "So it would seem." She locked eyes with Mai. "However, you're still no match for me. It won't be long before I destroy your Mirror Wall, and then there will be nothing to protect you from the power of my Harpies!"

----

Ra walked down an alley in some nondescript American city that he thought looked just like all the other cities in America. Ra didn't much care for the modern world. He thought that it lacked the elegance of ancient times. There were a few things that amazed him though, like how a card game could channel the ancient Egyptian magic, even if it was based on that same magic. He was also quite impressed by the technology of the times. However, technology was the furthest thing from his mind right now. He wanted power, power enough to defeat Zorc, and he was going to steal as many souls as possible in order to gain that power. He stopped walking when he heard something move behind him.

"Look here, boys," said a voice from behind him. "It's a freak in a cape."

"Yeah," said another, "and where did he get that haircut?" They started to laugh.

Ra ignored the comments, as he sensed the ancient shadow magic coming from behind him. "Are you guys duelists?" he asked without turning around.

"Yeah," answered the one that had spoken first. "What of it?"

Ra smiled. _Excellent,_he thought._ Three, no, four decks. So there's four of them. They're weak, but their souls must have some power._ He raised his left arm, showing them his duel disk. "Would you care for a duel?" he asked, still facing away.

"Why not," said the same voice. "We can take some time out of our day to crush you, freak."

"Four on one?" asked Ra, smiling. "Isn't that a little unfair?"

"What's the matter?" asked a new voice. "Is the little freak scared?" The four raised their disks.

"I didn't mean unfair for me," said Ra. His demeanor suddenly changed, and he turned around, revealing the psychotic expression on his face to the four duelists. "It would take a hundred of you to bring me down!!!"

----

"It's my turn," said Mai, drawing. "I'll summon another Harpie Lady in attack mode." The monster appeared, and the attack meter flashed 1300. "Then I'll have it attack your Hummingbird." The new Harpie leapt forward, slicing the Hummingbird to pieces. "Next my other Harpie will attack your life-points directly." The second monster lunged at Nephthys, striking her with its claws. Nephthys groaned as the life-point meter fell to 3375. "Looks like I have the upper hand."

"We'll see," said Nephthys, drawing. "First I'll place a card face-down, and then I'll summon Harpie's Brother in attack mode." The winged monster appeared on her side of the field, and the attack meter flashed 1800. "I may not be able to attack you, but with this on the field, you won't be able to attack me either."

"That's what you think," said Mai, drawing. "Now I sacrifice my Harpie Ladies to summon Harpie's Pet Dragon!" Her two monsters disappeared, replaced by a giant, pink dragon. Its face was black, and it wore a blue-green ornament with blue gems on its forehead and a gold chain around its neck. The attack meter flashed 2000, then rose to 2300. "Unfortunately for you, this loyal monster gains 300 extra attack points for each Harpie monster on the field, and that includes your Harpie's Brother." She turned to her monster. "Harpie's Pet Dragon, destroy her Harpie's Brother." The dragon reared back its long neck, then threw it forward, sending a large ball of fire directly at the Harpie's Brother. The attack struck the monster, vaporizing it, and Nephthys' life-points fell to 2875. With the Harpie's Brother gone, the attack meter for the Harpie's Pet Dragon fell to 2000. "That's all for my turn."

Nephthys drew her card. "Your dragon is quite powerful, but I also have a dragon. Now I'll summon Harpie's Pet Baby Dragon." The monster that appeared on Nephthys' side of the field was a smaller version of Mai's. It let out a small roar as the attack meter flashed 1200. "Next I'll activate a trap card known as Hysteric Party." She raised her face-down card. "By discarding one card from my hand, I can special summon every Harpie card in my graveyard, so now I'll summon my Harpie's Brother and Harpie Lady Sisters." The attack meters flashed 1800 and 1950.

Mai smiled. "Thanks. Now there are four Harpies on the field. That means my dragon's attack power increases by 1200." The attack meter rose to 3200.

It was Nephthys' turn to smile. "Your dragon isn't the only one to get a boost from Harpie cards, but instead of gaining attack points, my dragon gains effects. If there's one Harpie or more on the field, it becomes the only monster you can attack. If there are two Harpie's or more, its attack power is doubled. And if there are three or more, I can destroy one of your cards during each of my turns." The dragon's attack meter rose to 2400. "Now I'll activate its third special ability to destroy your Harpie's Pet Dragon." The small dragon formed a ball of fire in its mouth, releasing it at the larger dragon. The fireball struck the dragon, destroying it. "Unfortunately, your Mirror Wall is still in my way, but on my next turn I'll destroy that too, and then you'll be finished."

----

Ra stared down at the soulless bodies of the four duelists that he had just defeated. _What a waste of time, _he thought. _They barely even put up a fight, and their souls are nearly powerless._ "Pathetic," he said out loud. "What I need are stronger souls. Don't you agree, Horus?"

"You knew I was following you the whole time, didn't you?" asked Horus, stepping out from the shadows.

"No strong soul can hide from me," he said, turning to face Horus. "So Zorc sent you to keep an eye on me."

"He wants me to find out what you're planning."

"Then you can tell him I'm gathering souls in order to gain the power to defeat him." An idea entered his head, and he smiled wickedly. "Would you care to surrender yours?" Horus offered no verbal response. Instead, he reached immediately for the amulet around his neck. Seeing this, Ra began to laugh. "It seems that you're afraid of me, Horus. Don't you trust me?"

"I haven't trusted you since we left Egypt," he responded, his hand still gripping the amulet. "Even before then, your lust for power was too great."

"I'm sorry to hear that," he said, sighing. "I hadn't planned taking your soul, but it looks like I have no choice." He shifted his gaze to Horus' hand. "You can lower your hand now. You should already know that, even with the Amulet of Dissonance, you're no match for me."

"And what about me?" asked a deep, menacing voice from the shadows.

"Obelisk!" said Ra, surprised. "I didn't even sense you."

"Of course you didn't. My armor has the ability to hide my presence. I'm surprised you didn't know that. In any case, if you plan on dueling Horus, then you'll have to take me on as well. Do you think you can defeat us both?"

Ra sighed again. "Very well. Go back to your master, and tell him exactly what I'm doing." She locked his gaze on Horus. "And while you're at it, ask him what his true plans are for your beloved daughter."

"We live for Zorc," said Horus. "His plans for us are irrelevant."

Ra shook his head. "You really are a fool."

"We'll see who the fool is," said Horus, vanishing. Obelisk, however, remained behind.

"Is there something else?" asked Ra.

"Ra, I'm offering you this advice as a fellow Egyptian God. Come back with us."

"I'm not gonna be Zorc's lapdog."

"The only reason you're here is because Zorc resurrected us all and brought us together to break the Ishtar seal. If you keep this up, he won't be forgiving."

"It won't matter. I'll gain enough power to destroy him before he ever decides to come after me."

Obelisk sighed. "You didn't have that power when you needed it, so why do you want it now?"

"Because power is all that matters."

Obelisk turned his back on Ra. "You couldn't save Nemu. Stop trying." With that, he vanished.

Ra frowned. Even though Obelisk was wrong about his intentions, he still felt a twinge of pain at hearing his sister's name. It was true that Ra had failed to save his sister back in ancient Egypt, but that was a long time ago. Now, his motives for power were completely different. _First I'll destroy Zorc, _he thought. _Then, when the Egyptian Gods are under my control, the world will be mine for the taking._

_---- _

"This duel is getting interesting," said Mai, drawing her card. "Now I'll activate Harpie's Feather Duster to destroy both of your trap cards." A huge whirlwind appeared on the field, blowing across the field and engulfing Nephthys' cards. "And when your Hysteric Party card leaves the field, all of your Harpies go with it." The Harpie's Brother and Harpie Lady Sisters disappeared from the field, and the attack meter for the Harpie's Pet Baby Dragon fell back to 1200. "With your Harpies gone, your dragon can't destroy my Mirror Wall, so I think I'll end my turn."

Nephthys drew her card, and smiled when she saw it. "You should have found a way to destroy my monster. Now I'll summon the Hand of Nephthys." The monster appeared on her side of the field, and the attack meter flashed 600.

"Oh, no!" exclaimed Yugi. "She's going to summon her Egyptian God card."

"Mai," said Joey, worried.

"Next I'll sacrifice my two monsters to summon the Sacred Phoenix of Nephthys from my deck." Her monsters became engulfed in flames, and the fire took on the form of the Phoenix. The fire dissipated, revealing the great, golden bird. It screeched as the attack meter flashed 2400. "Now, let's see if your Mirror Wall can stand up to this monster. Sacred Phoenix of Nephthys, attack her life-points with Eternal Flame!" The phoenix screeched again, surrounding itself with its own flames. The phoenix-shaped fire then left the God card, moving towards Mai with incredible speed. The crystal wall rose up to meet the attack, taking its full force without a crack. The attack meter then fell to 1200. "Looks like I couldn't break it down. I'll set one card face-down and end my turn."

"You've fallen right into my trap, Nephthys," said Mai, drawing her card. "First I'll summon Cyber Harpie Lady." A new monster appeared on her side of the field. This Harpie was identical to the rest, and it wore silver armor. It flicked its electric whip as the attack meter flashed 1800.

Nephthys laughed. "Are you planning to destroy my Egyptian God card? It'll just come back with its original power, and your Mirror Wall will be gone."

"Oh, I'm afraid that your wrong, my dear. I don't want to destroy it. In fact, I've been waiting for you to summon it the whole duel. Now I'll activate a magic card known as Harpie's Glare. This card allows me to send one monster on your side of the field to the bottom of your deck. With this card, I'll take your phoenix out of this game." The Cyber Harpie glared at the phoenix, its eyes glowing bright red, and the phoenix disappeared from the field. "Now that your most powerful card is gone, this duel is as good as done." Nephthys laughed again, hard this time. "What's so funny?"

She stopped laughing. "The Sacred Phoenix of Nephthys may be my most powerful monster, but who said it was my only powerful monster?"

"What?" asked Mai. "You mean you have another?"

"Oh, yes," said Nephthys, smiling wickedly. "And once I summon it, this duel will end."


	22. In a Harpie World Pt 2

**Chapter 22**

"It's my move," said Nephthys, drawing.

"Wait," said Tea. "Why didn't Mai attack Nephthys with her Cyber Harpie?"

"Because, Tea," answered Yugi, "Harpie's Glare forces her to choose a Harpie card to use it, and that Harpie can't attack that turn."

"Doesn't matter, Tea," said Joey. "Nephthys has lost almost half her life-points, Mai doesn't even have a scratch. She'll win this easy."

"Don't underestimate Nephthys," said Mokuba. "She may be losing, but she's still an Egyptian God."

"Now I'll summon my Wind Effigy in attack mode." A tornado of white wind appeared on her side of the field. Rainbow colored feathers adorned the top of its funnel. The attack meter flashed 1800. "That's all for my turn."

Mai drew her card. "Do you really think that playing a monster with the same number of attack points as mine is going to keep me from attacking it? I guess you have less skill than I thought. I'll start by summoning the Dunames Dark Witch in attack mode." A female monster clad in red armor appeared on her side of the field. It wore white gloves and boots, as well as a white skirt. It had white, metallic wings and dark red hair, and green gems adorned its wings and armor. The attack meter flashed 1800. "Next I'll equip my Cyber Harpie Lady with Cyber Shield, raising its attack power by 500." The silver armor covering the Harpie turned gold, and the attack meter rose to 2300. "I'll also add my face-down Rose Whip to it, netting it another 300 points." A whip covered in thorns appeared in the Harpie's hand, and the attack meter rose again, this time to 2600. "Now I'll have it attack your monster." The Harpie leapt forward, raising its arm to strike with the whip.

"Looks like someone forgot about my face-down card," said Nephthys, raising her card. "I activate the trap card Collected Power. This card grants all attack and defense boosts to one of my monsters until the end of the turn, which means my monster gains the 800 extra points that you gave to your monster." Streams of light began to flow from both the armor and the whip, connecting to the Wind Effigy. The tornado monster began to glow a golden color, and the attack meter rose to 2600. At the same time, the attack of the Harpie dropped back to 1800. "Now, since your Harpie is no longer protected by your Mirror Wall, my Wind Effigy will destroy it." The tornado moved toward the Harpie, surrounding it with its powerful winds. A shriek sounded from within the whirlwind as the Harpie was destroyed, and Mai's life-points fell to 3200. "Now that your monster is out of the way, all that's left is to destroy your trap card, and then this duel will be mine."

--

Zorc's laughter filled his chamber. Horus had returned from his mission, and when he told Zorc what Ra was planning, his master couldn't help but laugh. "That fool thinks he'll gain the power to defeat me by using the souls of other duelists?" Still smiling, he said to Horus, "Let him collect all the souls he wants. When he challenges me, I'll take all the souls he's collected for myself."

"Forgive me for saying this," said Horus, bowing, "but what if he does manage to gain enough power to defeat you? Can we really let him do as he wishes?"

"You seem to be forgetting something, Horus, so let me remind you." Without moving, Zorc unleashed a wave of shadow energy from his body, sending Horus flying across the room. He collided with the wall, then fell to his hands and knees.

"Forgive me, my lord. I spoke out of turn."

"Don't ever question me or my power again, Horus. No matter how strong he gets, Ra will never be a match for me. Now, if there's nothing else, you may return to your chamber." Horus rose to his feet, bowed, and began moving to the door. When he reached the door, however, he stopped. "Is there something else?"

"Nephthys," he said. "Is she still dueling?"

"She is. She defeated one opponent and has moved on to another."

"I would like permission to go after her."

"I'm sorry Horus, but I can't allow that. I want you here in case I need you."

Horus bowed again. "Of course, my lord." With that, he turned and walked out. As he walked down the hall, he thought to himself. _Ra was right. Zorc has no regard for Nephthys. He may even be planning to sacrifice her, but why? Why would he sacrifice his own warriors? _He walked into his chamber and shut the door. _Was it also his plan that Apophis be sacrificed? If that's the case, what are his plans for the rest of us? _His amulet began to glow, and he shook his head. _It is not my place to question my master. I'll follow his orders, and if he intends to sacrifice me, then so be it._

--

"My move," said Nephthys, drawing. "First I'll activate the magic card Pot of Greed, allowing me to draw two new cards from my deck." She drew the cards. "Next I'll activate my own Harpie's Feather Duster to destroy your Mirror Wall." A whirlwind appeared on the field, surrounding the wall. After a few seconds, the wall shattered and the whirlwind dissipated. Next I'll activate my Wind Effigy's special ability. When I summon a wind monster that requires more than one tribute, I can sacrifice this card to count as all the required tributes. Now I'll sacrifice my Wind Effigy to summon this." The tornado shaped monster duplicated itself, and the two tornados disappeared from the field, replaced by a large green bird. It had massive wings and golden tail feathers, and it wore a crown on its head. It squawked loudly as the attack meter flashed 2700. "Behold Simorgh, Bird of Divinity. With this monster, I'll win the duel."

"This isn't good," said Yugi. "She's managed to summon another powerful monster."

"Is Mai gonna be able to take that thing down?" asked Tristan.

"I don't know, Tristan," answered Yugi. "While this monster is not immortal, it's much more dangerous than the Sacred Phoenix right now. Not only has Mai used most of her cards that can beat this one, she also has no cards in her hand. To make matters worse, the only card on her side of the field is her Dark Witch. With Simorgh's attack power and abilities, if Mai doesn't draw a card strong enough to defeat it next turn, she'll lose the duel."

--

Ra stood before the body of the latest duelist he had defeated. _This makes sixty-something I've defeated now, _he thought, _and my power hasn't increased at all. Are there nothing but weak duelists in this country? _Growing bored with the endless duels he had been fighting, his thoughts turned to his life back in ancient Egypt, when he lived happily with his family. He and his sister would play every day, often getting into trouble. He smiled when he thought of her. They lived in a small, cliff-side town that overlooked a long river. There weren't many people in the town, and it was quite peaceful.

One day, he and his sister had snuck out of the town to play in the great field that stretched out from the town. They didn't realize how far away from home they had gotten, and before long night set in. They finally decided to return home, but when they got there, they found the town in flames. They ran to their house, only to find no trace of their family. As they searched, one of the marauders that attacked the town came upon them. "Hey," the marauder had called over his shoulder. In a few moments, five more marauders appeared, some chuckling wickedly, some merely smirking.

"Nemu, run!" Ra had said. The two took off, running from the marauders. Unfortunately, they were accidentally running toward the cliff. Nemu had her eyes closed, and would have run right off if Ra hadn't stopped her. They turned to run in another direction, only to find themselves surrounded. One of the marauders stepped forward, and Ra moved to stand between him and Nemu.

"Look at this, boys," said the marauder. "We've got us a tough guy here." Ra ignored the comment, lunging at the man in an effort to protect his sister. The marauder moved to the side, and Ra tripped, falling flat on his face. He got back up, only to receive a punch to the gut. He fell to his hands and knees, clutching his stomach. He looked up to see another man grabbing Nemu by the wrist as she struggled to get away.

"Nemu!" he screamed. "Nemu!" The marauder lost his grip on the girl, and Nemu stumbled forward, falling right off the cliff. "Nemu!!" Ra got to his feet and lunged at the one who had let his sister fall. The marauder responded by kicking him, hard. An unconscious Ra hit the ground a few feet from where he was kicked. He awoke to find the fires out and the marauders' bodies lying all around him. He wasn't sure what happened, but he didn't care. He had more important things to worry about. He searched long and hard for his sister, all the while hoping she was alive. Unfortunately, he never found her. "Nemu," he said aloud, pulling his thoughts away from the past. "I'm sorry I couldn't save you. I was too weak to do anything but cower before those men." When he said this, every bit of sadness faded from his face, and a psychotic smile crossed his face. "No matter. Soon the world will be cowering before me!"

--

"Now my Simorgh will attack your Dark Witch," said Nephthys, commanding her monster with a wave of her arm. In response, the giant bird lifted its massive wings. It then brought them down violently, creating a powerful gust of wind that swept across the field, blowing Mai's monster away. Mai shielded her face from the wind as her life-points dropped to 2300. "Now I'll end my turn, and my monster's special ability activates. At the end of each turn, we both take 500 points of damage. That damage is decreased by 100 points for each magic or trap card on our side of the field, but since neither of us has a magic or trap card, we'll both take the full 500." The giant bird lifted its wings again, but this time it began to spin, creating a tornado of green wind around itself. The tornado grew bigger until it struck both duelists, and Mai shielded herself from the winds as her life-points fell to 1800. Nephthys, on the other hand, simply smiled as the tornado brought her life-points down to 2375. "Still think you can win?"

"As a matter of fact, I do," said Mai, smiling. "I don't know what Yugi did to you or why you want to hurt him so badly, but it won't be enough to defeat me. You see..." She held up her left hand, revealing her ring to Nephthys. "…I have someone waiting for me, and that means I can't lose this duel."

"Joey, when did you…?" Tristan began, but stopped when he saw the worried expression on Joey's face.

"Do you really believe you can beat my monster?" asked Nephthys, amused. "You don't even have a single card."

"I only need one," said Mai, drawing. She smiled when she saw the card that she drew. "Alright, Nephthys, prepare to lose your monster."

Nephthys smiled again. "Nice try, but there's no way you can summon a monster strong enough to beat mine."

It was Mai's turn to smile. "Who said I drew a monster?" Nephthys' eyes widened as the smile faded from her face. "Now I activate a magic card known as Grave Arm. This card allows me to destroy one monster on the field."

"But that means…"

"Yes, it means that your Simorgh is destroyed." A hole appeared in the ground beneath the giant green bird. A few seconds later, a hand emerged from the hole and grabbed the bird, then dragged it down into the hole. Once the monster was out of sight, the hole disappeared from the field.

"Alright," said Tea. "She did it."

"Yeah, way to go, Mai," said Joey. _I knew you could do it, _he thought.

"Now we're both out of cards," said Mai.

"For now," said Nephthys, drawing. "Now I'll summon Feral Harpie in attack mode." A new Harpie appeared on her side of the field. This one walked on all fours, and every trace of beauty was gone from its face. It wore a tattered, green body-suit and its eyes glowed a bright red. It had long, black hair and large fangs, and it screeched as the attack meter flashed 1300.

"What is that thing, Yugi?" asked Tea.

"It's one of the rarest Harpie cards in existence. It supposed to have a powerful effect, but I've never seen it before."

"Well, whatever it does, it's scary," said Tea.

"Now my Feral Harpie will attack your life-points directly." The Harpie screeched again as it leapt forward, slashing at Mai with its clawed hands and bringing her life-points down to 500. "How does it feel," said Nephthys as her monster returned to her, "knowing you're about to lose?"

"I still have 500 life-points left." Mai drew her card and examined it. "It's time for me to prove who the real Harpie master is, by summoning this." A new Harpie monster appeared on her side of the field. This one wore a blue body-suit and had beautiful white wings. It had long, green hair and bright blue eyes, and though the warm, nurturing expression on its face made it look much less menacing than the other Harpies, the attack meter flashing 1900 told otherwise. "Behold my rarest card, the Harpie Queen. With this card I'll defeat you." She turned to her monster. "Harpie Queen, go and attack her Feral Harpie." The Harpie leapt across the field, slashing at its opponent's monster with its claws. Though Nephthys' life-points fell to 1775, her monster remained on the field.

"So that's its effect," said Yugi. "It can't be destroyed."

"I've never seen a card that can't be destroyed that didn't have a cost," said Kaiba.

"You're right," said Yugi. "It must have a drawback, and I'll bet Mai knows what it is."

Mai smiled. "Now that you've summoned a monster that can't be switched to defense mode, it's only a matter of time before I win this duel." Mai's monster returned to her. "Your move."

Nephthys drew her card, and smiled. "You fought well, but I'm afraid you're not walking away from this duel. Now I activate the magic card Monster Reborn, and I'll use it to bring back the Hand of Nephthys." The female monster appeared on her side of the field.

"Oh, no," said Yugi.

"She's going to summon her Egyptian God card again," said Serenity.

"Now I sacrifice my two monsters to once again summon the Sacred Phoenix of Nephthys." The two monsters combined into a pillar of fire, once again forming the shape of the Sacred Phoenix. The attack meter flashed 2400 as the phoenix emerged from the flames. "Now my phoenix will destroy your Harpie Queen." She turned to her monster. "Sacred Phoenix of Nephthys, end this duel. Attack her monster with Eternal Flame!" At its master's command, the Egyptian God monster released its phoenix-shaped fire, sending directly at Mai's monster. The flames enveloped the Harpie, destroying it and reducing Mai's life-points to 0.

"It can't be," said Mai in disbelief as the phoenix disappeared. "I can't believe I lost."

"Don't feel too bad," said Nephthys, smiling. "You never stood a chance against me. After all, I am a God." She pulled back her hair, revealing her lens once again. "Now to claim your soul," she said as the lens began to glow.

"Stop!!" shouted Yugi, but it was useless. Yugi and his friends could do nothing but watch as the Lens of Revelation took yet another of their friends' souls.

"So, Yugi," said Nephthys, redirecting her attention, "how does it feel to lose another one of your friends?"

"That's it, Nephthys!" said Yugi, angrily. "This ends here." He raised his disk, but Joey put his hand up, motioning for Yugi to back down. "Joey!?" Without a word, Joey walked over to Mai's soulless body, lifted her in his arms, and carried her back over to the group, handing her to Tristan. Tristan nodded to Joey as he took Mai out of Joey's arms, and Joey turned around, walking back towards Nephthys. "Joey, you can't!" said Yugi as Joey raised his disk.

"Sorry, Yug'. This is something I gotta do." He turned and smiled painfully. "Don't worry. I plan to win." He turned back to Nephthys.

Nephthys smiled. "So you're the one. I must say that's a very nice ring. She's a very lucky girl, or should I say she was a very lucky girl."

An expression of anger crossed Joey's face. "If you've got time to taunt me, then you must have time to duel me. Let's go."

"Alright," said Nephthys. "You can be next if you want." She raised her disk, and the life-point meters flashed 4000. "Let's duel."


	23. Duel for Love Pt 1

**Chapter 23**

"It's go time," said Joey, drawing his cards. "First I'll place two cards face-down, and then I'll summon Alligator's Sword in attack mode." A green, humanoid alligator appeared on his side of the field. It wore black armor with red lining and silver spikes, and it carried a large, menacing sword. A yellow alligator skull formed the hilt of the sword, and the monster smiled as the attack meter flashed 1500. "That ends my turn."

"That's quite a scary monster you've got," said Nephthys, drawing. "Let me show you one of mine. I summon Harpie's Brother in attack mode." The winged monster appeared, and the attack meter flashed 1800. "Now, Harpie's Brother, attack his Alligator's Sword." Her monster flew across the field, raising its claws to strike the alligator.

"Not so fast, Nephthys. I activate my trap card." Joey raised one of his face-down cards. As he did, a pink box with holes in the top surrounded his monster. "It's called Fairy Box, and with a little luck, it'll protect my monster." His monster revealed itself, sticking its head out of one of the holes for a few seconds before going back in, emerging from a different hole after a few more seconds. "Just try and hit him."

Nephthys clapped her hands together and smiled. "Ooh, how fun!" she exclaimed. "Harpie's Brother, attack now," she commanded as soon as she saw the Alligator's Sword appear from another hole. The winged monster rushed at the lizard as it disappeared into the box, following it inside with its claws. "Looks like I hit it."

Joey smiled. "Guess again." As if on cue, the alligator popped its head out of another hole, and the Harpie monster withdrew, returning to its master.

"Oh, shoot," said Nephthys. "I missed." She shrugged. "Oh, well. I'll set one card face-down and end my turn."

Joey drew his card. _Alright, _he thought. _So far everything's going well, but if I'm going to get Mai back, I'm going to have to figure out how to destroy her Egyptian God card. _He looked at his hand. _Nothing I have right now can destroy it, but I'm sure there's a card in my deck that can take her phoenix out of the game._ He looked across the field. _As for her Harpie's Brother, that's a different story. _"Okay, Nephthys, say goodbye to your monster. Now I'll sacrifice my Alligator's Sword to summon my favorite card." The Fairy Box disappeared, revealing Joey's alligator, which disappeared a few seconds later. It was replaced by a humanoid monster wielding a large, flaming sword. It wore blue armor, as well as a red helmet and a large red sash around its waist. It pointed its sword at the Harpie as the attack meter flashed 1800. "Meet my Flame Swordsman. This guy packs quite a punch, and he can't wait to destroy your monster."

Nephthys smiled. "Our monsters' attack points are equal. They'll both be destroyed if you attack."

"Not once I equip my swordsman with this." He took a card from his hand and held it up. "It's called Salamandra, and it raises my monster's attack points by 700." The flames on his monster's sword grew larger, taking on a living form, and the attack meter rose to 2500. "Now my swordsman is strong enough to destroy your monster, and that's exactly what he'll do. Go, Flame Swordsman." At its master's command, the swordsman raised its sword and swung, sending a dragon of fire across the field and vaporizing Nephthys' monster. Nephthys shield her face from the shockwaves as her life-points fell to 3300.

"Alright," said Serenity. "Joey took the lead."

"Come on, Uncle Joey," said Amara. "Take her down."

_It won't be easy, _thought Kaiba, _but maybe Wheeler can pull this off._ He shifted his gaze from Joey to Yugi, who had a worried expression on his face. _If Wheeler fails, I won't let Yugi take this away from me. This girl made a fool of me, and I'll be the one to take her down._

"Now I'll place one more card face-down," said Joey as his swordsman returned to him, "and end my turn."

"I'm afraid your swordsman won't be around for much longer," said Nephthys, drawing her card. "Now I summon my Birdface in attack mode." The blue, bird monster appeared, and the attack meter flashed 1600. "Next I'll activate my Icarus Attack trap card." She raised her card. "It allows me to destroy two of your cards at the cost of one of my winged-beast monsters. So now I'll destroy my Birdface, as well as your Flame Swordsman and one of your face-down cards." A ray of light shot down from the sky, striking the Birdface. The bird monster screeched as two more rays shot from it, extending toward Joey's swordsman and his face-down card, vaporizing both. As the light faded, the armor on the Birdface started to crack, but the monster was still standing.

"Why wasn't your monster destroyed?" asked Joey.

"Weren't you watching my last two duels? When Birdface is destroyed, I can summon one Harpie Lady card from my deck. So now I summon Harpie Lady #3 in attack mode." The Birdface shattered, revealing her new monster. The blue haired Harpie screeched as the attack meter flashed 1300. "Now I'll attack your life-points directly." The Harpie leapt across the field, pointing its claws at Joey.

"Not so fast. I activate the magic card Scapegoat. You destroyed my Chasm of Spikes card, so I had to think of another way to stop your monster's attack, and these little guys will do just that." Four small, round creatures with horns appeared on his side of the field. They each had a sleepy expression on their face, and each one was a different color. One was yellow, one blue, one red, and one pink. They appeared just as the attack came down, and the Harpie slashed the red one to pieces.

"Impressive," said Nephthys, "but you won't hold off my attacks forever."

"Maybe not," said Joey, drawing, "but it's my turn now." He looked at his cards. "Perfect. Now I'll summon Panther Warrior in attack mode." A purple, bipedal panther appeared on his side of the field. It wore golden armor and a green cape, and carried a large, curved sword. It growled as the attack meter flashed 2000. "And now I'll sacrifice a Scapegoat so my Panther Warrior can attack." The yellow goat disappeared into the panther's sword, and the purple monster leapt forward, slicing the Harpie monster in two. "Alright," said Joey as Nephthys' life-points dropped to 2600. "Now your monster's toast."

"Looks like my plan worked," said Nephthys, smiling.

"What do you mean?" asked Joey.

"I knew you would summon a monster. That's why I summoned Harpie Lady #3. You see, there's a special poison in my Harpie's claws, and it managed to scratch your panther just before your monster's attack struck. Now your panther can't attack me for two whole turns."

"That's fine," said Joey. "I'll just place a card face-down and end my turn."

"It looks like you're out of cards," said Nephthys, drawing. "I'll start my turn by playing Pot of Greed, allowing me to draw two new cards from my deck." She drew the cards, and Joey smiled. "What's so funny?"

"Oh, nothing much," said Joey. "You just fell into my trap is all."

"What do you mean?"

"You have six cards in your hand and I have none, and that allows me to activate this." He raised his face-down card. "It's a trap card called Gamble. Now I toss a coin. If I call it right, I draw five new cards."

"And if you call it wrong?"

"Then I skip my next turn, but that's not gonna happen, because I'm gonna call it right." A silver coin appeared in Joey's hand, and he flipped it into the air. "I think I'll call tails." The coin came back down, and Joey caught it in the air.

"Well," said Nephthys, "what is it?"

Joey opened his hand, revealing the blank side of the coin. "Looks like tails to me, and you know what that means." The coin disappeared, and Joey drew the five cards.

Nephthys smiled. "Very well, but it's still my turn. Now I'll set a card face-down, and then I'll activate Monster Reborn to bring back my Harpie Lady #3 in attack mode." The monster appeared, and the attack meter flashed 1300. "Next I'll activate Elegant Egotist, transforming one Harpie into three." The single Harpie was joined by two more, and all three now wore a golden armor. The attack meter flashed 1950. "Unfortunately, they're still not strong enough to destroy your panther, so I'll have them attack one of your Scapegoats." The three Harpie's lunged at Joey's pink Scapegoat, bringing their claws down and slashing it to pieces. "Now you only have one left."

"One is all I'm gonna need," said Joey, drawing. He looked at the card he drew, and smiled. _That's it, _he thought. _My evolving monster. That's how I'm gonna take down her God card. I'll wait until she summons her phoenix, and then I'll summon my monster and win the duel. In the mean time, I think I'll build up my defenses. _"Alright, Nephthys. I'll place one card face-down, and end my turn."

"Do you think playing cards face-down is going to scare me?" asked Nephthys, drawing. "I summon Harpie Lady #1 in attack mode." The pink haired Harpie appeared, and the attack meter flashed 1300, then rose to 1600. At the same time, the attack meter for the Harpie Lady Sisters rose to 2250. "As I'm sure you're well aware, my new Harpie increases the attack power of all wind monsters by 300 points, which means my Harpie Lady Sisters are now strong enough to destroy your panther." She turned to her monsters. "Now, my Harpies, destroy his monster." The sisters leapt across the field in unison, heading straight for Joey's Panther Warrior.

Joey smiled. "I thought you might try something like that. That's why I played this." He raised his face-down card. "It's a trap card known as Magic Arm Shield, and it allows me to block your attack with one of your monsters. Now go, Magic Arm shield." The shield appeared on his side of the field, then a hatch in the center of the shield opened, revealing an extending claw arm, which reached across the field toward Nephthys' Harpie Lady #1. The claw reached the monster, grabbing it and pulling it over to Joey's side of the field, just in time to block the claws of the Harpie Lady Sisters. The captive monster shrieked as it was destroyed, and the attack meter for the Harpie Lady Sisters dropped to 1950.

"Nice move," said Nephthys.

"Nicer than you think," said Joey. "Since it was your monster that was destroyed, you take the damage." As he said this, Nephthys' life-points fell to 1950.

"Alright," said Tea. "Nephthys has already lost more than half her life-points, and Joey hasn't lost any."

"It's true that Joey is in a good position," said Yugi, "but we shouldn't underestimate Nephthys."

"This duel's not over yet," said Nephthys. "I'll place one card face-down and end my turn." She smiled. _He's the most powerful opponent I've faced so far, but I'm sure he's planning on summoning a monster to destroy my Harpies. As soon as he does, I'll activate my Hysteric Party trap, summoning both my Harpie's Brother and Harpie Lady #1. Then, whichever monster he decides to attack will gain a 600 point boost thanks to the Collected Power card I just set, and once I destroy his last Scapegoat, my monsters will be free to attack, and I'll win this duel._

--

Horus sat in his chamber, thinking to himself. _I can't disobey Zorc,_ _but I can't just let Nephthys be sent to the Shadow Realm. _His amulet began to glow. _What am I worried about? Zorc is right. Only Kaiba and Yugi could possibly figure out how to defeat her Egyptian God card, and she won't duel them. _The glow of the amulet dulled. _But what if she does, and what if someone else can figure it out? _The amulet brightened again, then stopped glowing altogether. _I've made up my mind. I'll be going against my master's wishes, but I'll deal with the consequences later. I'm going after her._

--

Joey drew his card. _Oh, yeah, this'll work. _"Now I sacrifice my Panther Warrior to summon Jinzo." The Panther Warrior disappeared from the field, replaced by a tall monster in green armor, wearing a green mask over its face. The attack meter flashed 2400. "Now, say buh-bye to all your trap cards." Joey waved his hand, and Jinzo's eyes began to glow. Beams of pink light shot from Jinzo's eyes, moving across Nephthys' face-down cards and destroying them both.

"What happened?" asked Nephthys.

"Don't you know?" asked Joey. "Jinzo's special ability destroys trap cards, and now he's gonna destroy your Harpies." He turned to his monster. "Jinzo, attack!" Jinzo positioned its hands in front of its chest, about a foot apart. A sphere of dark energy appeared between its hands, and it launched the sphere at Nephthys' Harpies, destroying them.

Nephthys frowned as her life-points fell to 1500. "It's my move now," she said, drawing. "Perfect. I've been waiting for this card." As she said this, Horus appeared behind her.

"Horus!" said Yugi.

"What's he doing here?" asked Kaiba.

"I came to help Nephthys," he answered. He spotted the two soulless bodies. "But it appears she doesn't need my help."

Nephthys shifted her gaze to Horus. "Good timing, Horus. I'm just about to crush this fool."

"Huh?" said Joey. "Did I miss something or have you gone nuts?"

"No, I'm quite sane," responded Nephthys, returning her gaze to Joey, "and I plan to crush you by summoning my Egyptian God card."

"Okay, now I know you've lost it. How are you gonna do that?"

Nephthys giggled lightly. "Like this. First I summon my Harpie Lady #2 in attack mode." The orange haired harpie appeared, and the attack meter flashed 1300. "Next I'll activate a magic card known as Double Summon, allowing me to summon a second monster this turn. So now I'll summon my Hand of Nephthys in attack mode." The female monster appeared, and the attack meter flashed 600.

"Oh boy," said Joey.

"Now I'll sacrifice them both to summon my Egyptian God card." The two monsters disappeared, engulfed in a pillar of fire. "Come forth, Sacred Phoenix of Nephthys!" The pillar of fire began to change shape, taking the form of a phoenix. It screeched once as the flames dissipated, revealing the golden monster as the attack meter flashed 2400.

"Looks like I was worried for nothing," said Horus.

"Looks like," said Nephthys. "Now, Sacred Phoenix, destroy his Jinzo with Eternal Flame!" At its master's command, the phoenix launched its fire towards Joey's monster.

Joey frowned. "Jinzo, counterattack!" Joey's monster formed a ball of dark energy in its hands once again, and threw it at the phoenix. The bird of fire dodged the attack and proceeded to strike the Jinzo. At the same time, Jinzo's attack struck the phoenix, and both were destroyed.

Nephthys smiled. "Both monsters may have been destroyed, but, unlike yours, my monster comes back." She raised her arms, gesturing outward. "Now rise from the ashes, Sacred Phoenix of Nephthys!" Flames surrounded the field, swirling together in the shape of the phoenix. It screeched as it reappeared, and the attack meter flashed 2400. "Now that my monster's back, I'll end my turn."

Joey drew his card. _This'll help, but it's not quite enough. _"I'll summon Baby Dragon in defense mode and end my turn." A small, orange dragon appeared on his side of the field, and the defense meter flashed 700.

"That's it?" said Nephthys, drawing. "I summon my Neo-Spacian Air Hummingbird in attack mode." The red, bird-like monster appeared, and the attack meter flashed 800. "Next I'll activate its special ability, giving me 500 life-points for each card in your hand, and since you have five cards, my life-points increase by 2500." Her life-point meter rose to 4000.

"That's not good," said Joey.

"It's good for me," countered Nephthys. "Now my phoenix will destroy your dragon." The Egyptian God monster screeched, forming the bird of fire once again and launching it at Joey's monster. The fire struck the small dragon, destroying it. "Next my Hummingbird will destroy your last Scapegoat." The bird leapt across the field, plunging its beak into the blue sheep and destroying it. "Now you're completely defenseless."

Joey drew his card, and smiled. _That's what I'm talking about. _He shifted his gaze to Nephthys. "I may be defenseless now, but not for long, because now I have everything I need to destroy your Egyptian God card."

"What do you mean?" asked Nephthys, slightly panicked. "There is no way to destroy my Egyptian God card."

Joey waved his finger at Nephthys. "You know, you shouldn't tell lies. You see, thanks to Mai, I know there's a way to destroy your monster…" He held up a card from his hand, facing the back of the card toward Nephthys. "…and I've got just the card for the job."


	24. Duel for Love Pt 2

**Chapter 24**

"Master," said Osiris, kneeling before Zorc in his massive chamber. "I apologize for disturbing you, but I thought you'd like to know that Horus has gone after Nephthys."

Zorc smiled. "Yes, I already know."

Osiris stood. "Would you like me to retrieve him?"

"That won't be necessary, Osiris."

Osiris frowned. "But why not?"

"Because everything is proceeding according to my plans," Zorc said angrily. Osiris flinched, then dropped to one knee, bowing again. "Don't worry. Horus is slipping. Before long he will betray me. Be patient, and you'll get your chance."

--

Joey looked at his cards. _Alright, _he thought, _I've got everything I need to destroy her monster, but first I'm gonna need to do some damage. _"Okay, Nephthys. I summon my Axe Raider in attack mode." A humanoid monster wearing a yellow chest-plate appeared on his side of the field. It wore a tattered, purple cloth tasset around its waist, and a red helmet with a gold rim on its head. It clutched a golden axe in its right hand, and it raised the axe to its chest as the attack meter flashed 1700. "Next, he'll attack your little birdie." Joey's monster leapt across the field, using its axe to cut the Air Hummingbird in half. "How do you like that?" said Joey as his monster returned and Nephthys' life-points fell to 3100. "Now I'll place a card face-down and end my turn."

Nephthys drew her card. "You may have destroyed my Hummingbird, but you've left yourself open to my attack." She turned to her monster. "Now, Sacred Phoenix, destroy his Axe Raider." Fire began forming around the phoenix as it prepared to launch its attack.

Joey smiled. "Not so fast, Nephthys. You forgot about my face-down card." He raised the card. "Go, Kunai with Chain. This nifty little trap card stops your monster's attack and increases the attack power of one of my monster's by 500 points." The kunai appeared in the Axe Raider's hands, and the attack meter rose to 2200. It twirled the kunai above its head, then threw it at the Sacred Phoenix, wrapping the chain around the great beast. It tightened the chain, and the fire disappeared. "So much for your monster's attack," said Joey as the chain recoiled, wrapping itself around the Axe Raider's arm.

"Doesn't matter," said Nephthys. "Next turn I'll destroy your monster."

"We'll see," said Joey, drawing. "Now I summon Rocket Warrior in attack mode." A small, green monster appeared on his side of the field. It had metallic panels on the sides of its head, torso, and legs, and it held a sword a shield in its hands. It wore a horned helmet on its head, and it pointed its sword at the phoenix as the attack meter flashed 1500. "Next I'll switch Rocket Warrior into its invincible mode, and have it attack your phoenix." The panels covering the small monsters body contracted, and the monster took on the shape of a rocket. An engine ignited from its feet, and it launched itself into the Egyptian God card. The small monster transformed again and returned to its master as the attack meter for the phoenix fell to 1900.

"What happened?" asked Nephthys.

"It's actually quite simple," said Joey. "By switching my Rocket Warrior into its invincible mode, I can knock 500 attack points off of any monster that it attacks. And, now that your monster is weak enough, my Axe Raider will destroy it." On command, the Axe Raider leapt towards the phoenix, plunging the blades of the kunai into the bird and destroying it.

Nephthys smiled as her life-points fell to 2800. "Too bad for you that my monster comes back." As she said this, flames surrounded the field, consuming the kunai as they merged together. The great phoenix returned to the field, and the attack meter flashed 2400 as the attack meter for the Axe Raider fell back to 1700. "Once again, you've failed to destroy my monster."

"That may be true," said Joey, "but I've still got a plan to take your monster down for good, and once I get your life-points a little lower I'll do just that."

"Can he really do that, Yugi?" asked Tea.

"I don't know, Tea. It's true that Joey is a powerful duelist, but I can't think of a card in his deck that can destroy that monster. Let's just hope I'm wrong."

"Now I'll place one card face-down," said Joey, "and end my turn."

_He's one of the strongest duelists I've ever faced, _thought Nephthys, drawing her card. _If I'm going to win, then I need to start using my Lens of Revelation. _The lens began to glow.

"Oh, no!" exclaimed Yugi.

"Joey, be careful," shouted Tea. "She's using her Shadow Item!"

Joey turned to face Tea. "What's your point?"

"What do you mean? Aren't you worried at all?"

"Sure I am, but do you know how many psychics I've dueled? Most were fake, some were the real thing…" He turned back to Nephthys. "…but all of them lost."

"That's the spirit, big brother," said Serenity.

_Well he's confident. _She looked at his face-down card. _I knew before I used the lens that that card was a problem, and I know now that I can't attack as long as it's on the field. _She looked at the card she drew. _Fortunately, this card will solve my problem. _"Now I activate the magic card Harpies' Hunting Ground. As long as this card remains on the field, the attack and defense points of all winged-beast monsters are increased by 200." The attack meter for the phoenix rose to 2600. "Also, whenever I summon a Harpie monster, I can destroy one magic or trap card you have on the field. Next I'll summon my Feral Harpie in attack mode." The black- haired harpie appeared, and the attack meter flashed 1300, then rose to 1500. "Now that I've summoned a Harpie monster, I can destroy your face-down card." The new monster lunged forward, slashing Joey's face-down card with its claws and destroying it. "Next I'll have my Feral Harpie destroy your Rocket Warrior." The Harpie rushed at the small monster.

"But their attack points are equal," said Joey.

"Did you forget? My Feral Harpie can't be destroyed in battle." Before the Rocket Warrior could react, the Harpie's attack struck, destroying the small monster. "Next, it's my God card's turn to attack." She turned to her monster. "Sacred Phoenix of Nephthys, destroy his Axe Raider with Eternal Flame!" The fire formed around the phoenix, then launched itself at the Axe Raider, vaporizing it on contact. "That ends my turn," said Nephthys as Joey's life-points fell to 3100.

"Looks like you finally managed to scratch me," said Joey, drawing his card. "First, I play Pot of Greed, allowing me to draw two new cards." He drew the cards. "Then I'll place two cards face-down, and summon this." A humanoid monster appeared on his side of the field. It wore white, armored robes over purple clothing, and it held a white sword in its hands. It's long, blond hair extended from beneath a large helmet, and it wore a mask over its eyes. The attack meter flashed 900. "Meet the newest addition to my deck, the Mystic Swordsman."

"So that's what Joey's planning," said Yugi. "He's going to use his evolving monster to destroy the Egyptian God card."

"What do you mean, Yugi?" asked Tea. "How's that monster going to help?"

"With the exception of the Silent Magician, which gains more power each time its opponent draws a card, all evolving monsters increase their power each turn, eventually becoming incredibly powerful. Once the Mystic Swordsman reaches its highest level, it will gain an ability strong enough to destroy the Sacred Phoenix once and for all."

--

Obelisk sat in his chamber, resting despite being still fully clad in his armor. He opened his eyes when he heard footsteps approaching him. "What do you want, Osiris?"

"What I want," answered Osiris, sitting on the table, "is a chance to take down Horus."

Obelisk closed his eyes again. "5000 years and you still can't let this go."

"Why should I let it go? Even before the birth of the shadow games, I wielded the power of ten dragons, each stronger than the last." He held up his deck, looking at it intently. "So strong that even Pegasus feared the power they would have if they came together in a single deck." He returned his gaze to Obelisk. "That's why he never created them. That's why Zorc had to summon them along with me."

"What's your point?" asked Obelisk, trying to sound more annoyed than he was.

"My point is that I was the most powerful summoner in the world." He put a hand on his chest. "Then Egypt gave birth to the shadow games, and I summoned my own monster, the monster of my soul, and I gained the power of a God." He put his hand down as his anger grew. "But it's Horus who gets all the glory. It's Horus who the people worshipped. It's Horus who Zorc always asks to handle the important missions. When people hear the name Osiris, they think of a title, of a mere figure in the Egyptian hierarchy, but when they hear the name Horus, when they hear the Black Flame of Egypt, they know who he is. They know his power." He slammed his fist on the table. "It's Horus who is called the greatest dragon user of all time."

"Relax, Osiris. You'll get your chance."

"Zorc said the same thing," said Osiris.

"And he was right. I can feel it myself. Horus' devotion to Zorc is waning. All you need to do is wait a bit longer…" Osiris could feel the wicked smile forming under Obelisk's helm. "…and then you'll get the chance to prove once and for all who is truly the greatest dragon user."

--

"Do you really think a monster that weak is going to stop me?" asked Nephthys, drawing her card. _Now, let's have a look at his face-down cards. _The lens began to glow. _What's going on? I can't figure out what I'm supposed to do. This has never happened before. What should I do?_

"What's wrong, Nephthys?" asked Horus.

"I don't know. I can't read his cards."

"I'm waiting," said Joey.

_I can't tell if he wants me to attack or not,_ thought Nephthys, _but I can't afford to wait._ "Now I'll attack your Mystic Swordsman with my Sacred Phoenix." The phoenix prepared to launch its attack.

"Not so fast," said Joey, raising one of his face-down cards. "Reveal Graceful Dice. This magic card allows me to increase the attack power of one of my monsters based on the number I roll." A small, strange-looking fairy holding a blue die appeared on his side of the field. "Now let's see what I get." The fairy released the die, and it rolled when it hit the ground. After a few seconds, it came to rest on the number two. "A two!?"

"Perfect," said Nephthys as the attack meter for the Swordsman rose to 1800. "Your monster still isn't strong enough to destroy my phoenix."

"That's why I have this card." He raised his other card. "Go, Skull Dice." A small imp holding a red die appeared on his side of the field. "This card allows me to weaken one of your monsters depending on what I roll, and since my monster's attack power is 1800, all I need is a two." The imp released the die, and it rolled across the field, coming to rest on the number four. "Alright, a four. That means your monster's attack power is divided by four." The attack power of the phoenix fell to 650. Joey turned to his monster. "Mystic Swordsman, strike her monster before it attacks." His monster rotated its arms, bringing the hit of its sword up to the side of its face, the blade pointing at the phoenix. The swordsman then hunched back as if preparing to jump forward, and then vanished from the field.

"Where'd it go?" asked Nephthys, surprised.

"Just take a look," said Joey. As if on cue, the swordsman reappeared, standing directly in front of the Egyptian God card. Before the phoenix could react, the swordsman plunged its sword into the beast. The sword began to glow white, starting from the hilt and proceeding down the blade. When the glow reached the phoenix, it began to spread across the body of the giant monster, until eventually the entire creature was glowing white. The phoenix screeched once before disintegrating into a white powder, and Nephthys' life-points fell to 1650.

"At least now I know why I couldn't read your cards," said Nephthys, regaining her focus. "It was nothing but luck. You're fighting to save the woman you love, and you're using cards that rely on luck? I've never seen anyone so foolish."

"What did she mean by that, dad?" asked Amara.

"It's just what she says," answered Kaiba. "Joey has been using that same tired strategy for twenty years. He probably has so many powerful cards that don't rely on luck, and yet he still uses those dangerous cards. As Nephthys said, it's foolish."

"You're wrong, Kaiba," said Yugi.

"What do you mean, Yugi?"

"Your theory would be correct for an amateur duelist, but Joey has been dueling for twenty years. Those cards aren't still in his deck because he doesn't know how to use the stronger cards. It's because he trusts his cards. It's not foolishness. It's bravery."

"Now, my phoenix," said Nephthys, "return to the field." The white powder on the ground caught fire and began swirling around the field. It consumed the Hunting Ground as it went, reducing the harpie's attack power 1300. The flames combined to form the shape of the phoenix. The Egyptian God card appeared from the flames with a screech, and the attack meter flashed 2400. "That's all for my turn."

Joey drew his card. "Now that it's my turn, my swordsman grows to its next level." As he said this, the swordsman began to change. It grew in size to become a full-sized warrior, and its hair grew longer and turned white. The white robes grew longer as well, reaching its ankles. A second blade extended from the base of the sword, and it now held its sword in one hand. It stood proudly as the attack meter flashed 1900.

"That's quite the power boost," said Nephthys.

Joey looked at his cards. _She's right about the power boost. Unfortunately, I don't have any cards to protect my swordsman. Guess I'll have to defend for now._ "Alright, Nephthys. I'll switch my swordsman to defense mode, and then I'll place two cards face-down." The swordsman switched and the cards appeared. "That ends my turn."

Nephthys drew her card, and smiled. "Now I'll sacrifice my Feral Harpie to summon my Swift Birdman." The black-haired harpie vanished from the field, replaced by another humanoid monster. This one wore purple pants as well as a blue chest-plate. It had large green wings and yellow talons, and its green, spiky hair was slicked back. It screeched as the attack meter flashed 2300. "Next I'll activate my new monster's special ability. When I summon this monster, if I sacrificed a wind monster, I can return every magic and trap card on the field to our hands, and since Feral Harpie was a wind monster, both of your cards go back to your hand." Nephthys' new monster flapped its wings once, hard. A strong gust of wind blew across the field, forcing both of Joey's face-down cards back into his hand. "Now that your face-down cards are out of my way, I'll have my Swift Birdman destroy your monster." Her monster flew across the field, bringing its claws down on Joey's swordsman and slashing it to pieces. "Next, my phoenix will attack you directly." The phoenix covered itself in fire, then launched its attack at Joey. The flaming bird struck Joey, and he screamed in pain as his life-points fell to 700.

"No, Joey!" shouted Serenity.

"This is definitely a Shadow Game," said Joey, getting to his feet and drawing his card. "Let's try this again. First I'll place two cards face-down, and then I'll summon my Goblin Attack Force in attack mode." A group of three monsters appeared on his side of the field, each one carrying a spiked club. They were green goblins, and they each wore bronze chest-plates and helmets. The attack meter flashed 2300. "Now to destroy your monster." He turned to his monster. "Goblin Attack Force, attack her Swift Birdman." At his command, Joey's monsters rushed forward with their clubs raised.

Nephthys smiled. "It's too bad that you've doomed your monster as well." She turned to her monster. "Swift Birdman, counterattack." The bird monster flew across the field with its claws raised. It struck the goblins with its claws just as their spiked clubs connected with its body. Both monsters were destroyed, sending shockwaves past both duelists.

"That's all for my turn," said Joey.

"You fool," said Nephthys, drawing. "You've left yourself open to my attack." She turned to her monster. "Sacred Phoenix of Nephthys, wipe out his life-points with Eternal Flame!" The phoenix shaped the fire around itself, preparing to launch its attack. "Once this attack hits, your soul will belong to me!"


	25. Duel for Love Pt 3

**Chapter 25**

"Now, my phoenix," said Nephthys, confidently, "finish him off!" The mighty creature obeyed its master, launching its flaming attack directly at Joey.

"Joey!" shouted Yugi.

"Aw, man," said Tristan. "He lost."

"Looks like I win," said Nephthys as the attack struck. Joey screamed as the field was covered in smoke. Nephthys shifted her gaze to Yugi. "Looks like another one of your friends' souls belongs to me."

"Don't be so sure."

"What!?" said Nephthys, shifting her gaze back towards Joey. Though most of the field was still covered in smoke, she could now clearly see her opponent kneeling on the ground. Joey got to his feet, and the life-point meter flashed 2300. "Why are you still standing?"

"Because when you attacked, you triggered both of my trap cards." The smoke cleared around one of his cards. "First, I used Nutrient Z to save my life-points. It works by giving me 4000 extra life-points whenever I'm about to take 2000 points of damage or more. So instead of losing my life-points, I gained 1600." The smoke cleared around his other card. A small imp was there instead of the card, and it was holding a card in its hands. "Then, I used my Graverobber to take one card from your graveyard and use it myself, and it looks like he grabbed your Pot of Greed." As Joey said this, the small creature turned the card around so Nephthys could see it. "Now, thanks to my Graverobber, I can draw two new cards." He drew the cards.

"Alright," said Mokuba.

"That was close," said Tristan.

"Nice move, Joey," said Yugi.

Nephthys smiled. "Looks like I get to have a bit more fun with you."

"Looks like," said Joey, drawing. _Excellent, _he thought when he saw the card. _It's my Question card._ He looked across the field. _Normally, that wouldn't be a good card to draw because of that lens of hers, but thanks to my Graverobber, I've got just the card I need to make it work. _"Alright, Nephthys, watch this. First I activate the magic card Foolish Burial. This card allows me to take any monster from my deck and place it anywhere in either graveyard." He looked through his deck, took a monster from it, and placed the monster in his graveyard. He then shuffled his deck and placed it back in his disk. "Next, I activate the magic card Question. This card forces you to guess what monster is on the bottom of my graveyard. If you guess right, that monster is out of the game for good, but if you guess wrong, I get to summon that monster to the field."

"Are you crazy?" asked Nephthys. "With my lens it'll be easy to figure out what card is down there."

"If you think it'll be so easy, then go ahead and guess."

_What a fool, _she thought as the lens started to glow. _Alright, the first monster I destroyed was Alligator's Sword, so that has to be it. _The lens glowed brighter. _What? How can that not be the card? Maybe it's the Flame Swordsman. No, that's not it either. Jinzo? No! Why can't I figure it out?_

"Having some trouble?" asked Joey. "Let me give you a hint. Remember my Foolish Burial card?" Nephthys' eyes widened. "That card allowed me to take any monster from my deck and place it anywhere in my grave, and I chose to put it on the bottom. So use that lens all you want, but just remember, you've only got thirty more seconds to guess."

_This can't be. I'll never figure it out. I don't know his deck, and it would take me hours to try every monster in the game. Alright, forget the lens. Use what you know about his deck, and just guess._ "Alright, here's my answer. I'll guess that the monster on the bottom of your graveyard is Gilford the Lightning."

Joey smiled. "Nice guess."

"Alright," said Nephthys. "That means your monster is removed from the game."

"Not quite," said Joey. "When I said nice guess, it was because there is a Gilford the Lightning in my deck, but that's not the monster I stuck on the bottom of my deck."

Nephthys' eyes widened again. "That's not possible."

"Sure it is. Now say hello to my Red-Eyes Black Dragon." A large, black dragon appeared on his side of the field. Its body was skeletal in structure, and it had large black wings. Its eyes glowed bright red, and it roared as the attack meter flashed 2400.

"Alright," said Tea. "Joey summoned his Red-Eyes."

"Next I'll use two cards to give my dragon a power boost. First, I'll equip him with my handy Dragon Nails card. This card allows me to increase one dragon's attack power by 600 points." Clawed gloves appeared on each of the dragon's hands, and the attack meter rose to 3000. "Next I'll add the magic card Dragon Treasure, allowing me to boost my dragon's strength by another 300 points." A purple aura surrounded Joey's dragon, and the attack meter rose to 3300. "And now to take a chunk out of your life-points." He turned to his monster. "Red-Eyes, attack with Inferno Fire Blast!" The dragon reared its head back, then threw its head forward, releasing a massive fireball from its mouth. The fireball struck the phoenix, and with a screech the Egyptian God monster vanished from the field. Nephthys shielded her face from the shockwaves as her life-points fell to 750.

"Impressive," said Nephthys, "but not enough to destroy my monster. Sacred Phoenix of Nephthys, rise from the Ashes!" A blazing fire swept across the field, consuming both the Dragon Treasure and the Dragon Nails. Taking on the shape of the phoenix, the fire vanished, revealing the great monster. The phoenix screeched as the attack meter flashed 2400. At the same time, the attack meter for the Red-Eyes fell back to 2400. "Now it's my move." She drew her card. "First I summon my Barrier Statue of the Stormwinds in attack mode." The green stone monster appeared, and the attack meter flashed 1000. The green, rune-inscribed circle extended from it, surrounding the field. "Next I'll have my phoenix destroy your dragon." The phoenix launched its fiery attack at the dragon. The Red-Eyes responded by sending another fireball straight towards the phoenix. The bird of fire dodged the fireball and collided with the dragon, destroying it. At the same time, the fireball struck the phoenix, vaporizing it. Fire then surrounded the field, merging together as the phoenix returned. "And now that my phoenix is back, my Barrier Statue will attack you directly." The statue began to glow, and an incredibly powerful blast of wind shot forth from it, heading straight for Joey. Joey shielded his face as the attack struck, as his life-points fell to 1300. "Also, you should know that as long as my Barrier Statue remains on the field, the only monsters you can special summon are wind monsters."

Joey drew his card and examined it. "Then it's a good thing that the monster I plan to summon is a wind monster. Now I activate the magic card Dragon's Mirror. With it, I can summon a dragon monster by fusing monsters in my graveyard. So now I'll fuse my Baby Dragon with my Alligator's sword to create Alligator's Sword Dragon." The two monsters reappeared, the Alligator's Sword riding atop the Baby Dragon, and the attack meter flashed 1700. "Just so you know, he's a wind monster, and now he's going to attack your statue." The new monster flew across the field, bringing its sword down on the statue and slicing it in half. The dragon returned to its master as Nephthys' life-points fell to 50. "That ends my turn."

"As well as this duel," said Nephthys, drawing. She turned to her monster. "Now my phoenix, attack his monster with Eternal Flame!" The phoenix launched its attack at Joey's monster, destroying it and bringing Joey's life-points down to 600. "Now draw your last card so I can end this duel."

--

Zorc sat in his chamber, thinking to himself, and a smile crossed his face as Ra appeared before him. "I must say, you're exceeding my expectations, Ra. I didn't think you'd show up for at least another hour."

"Spare me the suffering of listening to you talk about your plans. I'm only here for one reason."

"I'm fully aware of that, Ra. However, as long as you're here, you will obey me."

Ra grew angry. "Don't think that just because I'm here I'm going to follow your orders. I'm only here to duel the pharaoh and his friends, so that I can gain the power to defeat you."

"A fact that I intend to take full advantage of," said Zorc, smiling. His smile faded. "However, you will wait until I tell you to go after them. If you disobey that order, or interfere with my plans in any way, I will destroy you. Is that clear?"

"I have no intention of waiting," said Ra, nearly furious.

"Very well, then. Feel free to duel whoever you wish." Ra smiled, turned his back to Zorc, and began to walk away. "However," said Zorc, standing. Ra stopped walking, but kept his gaze fixed on the doorway. "You'll have to get through me first." Zorc let a small wave of shadow energy slip from his body. The energy reached Ra, and, for the first time in his entire existence, he feared for his very soul. "You have a choice, Ra. Obey my commands, or face oblivion here and now." Ra let the fear slip from his face before he turned to face Zorc. After a few seconds of hesitation, he dropped to his knee and bowed before Zorc. "That's better," said Zorc, smiling. "Now, return to your chamber and wait until I call for you."

"As you command," said Ra, suppressing the now burning rage within him. "Master."

--

_Alright, _thought Joey._ I've got no cards in my hand, and nothing on the field, so if I'm gonna save Mai, I'm gonna need to draw just the right card. _"Here goes," he said, drawing. "Perfect." He shifted his gaze to Nephthys. "Now I activate a magic card known as Woeful Dice." A small, white ghost holding a green die appeared on his side of the field. "This card allows me to roll a die, and if I roll an even number, I cut that number in half and draw that many cards."

"What happens if you roll and odd number?" asked Nephthys.

"Then I lose 1000 life-points."

"Is he nuts?" asked Tristan. "Why does he even use that card?"

"Because, Tristan," answered Yugi, "while it is a dangerous card, it can also be extremely useful. Besides, if he had drawn anything else in his deck, he would have lost next turn."

"Now," said Joey, "let's roll the die and see what happens." The ghost released the die, sending it rolling across the field. After a few seconds, the die came to rest, and the number facing up brought a smile to Joey's face. "Alright, a six. That means I can draw three new cards from my deck." He drew the cards. "Now I'll activate Monster Reborn to bring back my Mystic Swordsman." The swordsman appeared, and the attack meter flashed 1900. "Next I play my Time Wizard." A small, clock shaped monster appeared on his side of the field. It was red and had a blue and yellow face. It wore purple shoes and a purple cape, and it held a small scepter in one hand. The attack meter flashed 500.

"How cute," said Nephthys.

"He may be cute, but he's got a powerful special ability. As you can see, the staff he's holding has four skulls and two time machines on it, as well as an arrow. Once that arrow starts spinning, if it stops on a time machine, 1000 years will pass on the field, but if it lands on a skull, I'll lose my monsters and the rest of my life-points."

"Another game of luck?" asked Nephthys.

"You bet." He turned to his monster. "Time roulette, go!" The arrow on the scepter started spinning. _Come on time machine, _thought Joey. The arrow slowed, coming to a stop on a time machine. "Alright! Time warp, go."

"Time magic," said the Time Wizard in a mechanical voice. Ages began to pass on the field.

"Now my Time Wizard will speed up time, causing 1000 years to pass and your monster to age." The time warp stopped, but the phoenix was unaffected.

"Looks like you failed," said Nephthys. "My immortal monster is as young as ever."

"I thought that might happen. Lucky for me, that wasn't the point of the time warp. You see, I may have brought my swordsman back, but I still needed him to reach his highest level, and thanks to my Time Wizard, he has done just that." The swordsman that stood on Joey's field was more fearsome than before. Standing proud before its master, the swordsman now held two blades, each curving down from the hilt in the shape of crescents. The attack meter flashed 2300.

"It's too bad that your monster is still 100 points too weak to take on mine. Now you will lose the duel."

"Not quite. I've still got one card left." He turned the card so Nephthys could see. "I activate the magic card Shield and Sword. This card swaps the attack and defense of every monster on the field." The attack meter for the swordsman changed to 1700, and the attack meter for the phoenix changed to 1600.

"No, my phoenix!"

"Now, Mystic Swordsman, wipe out her monster and the rest of her life-points." The swordsman leaned back, preparing to jump, and vanished from the field. After a few seconds, it reappeared above the phoenix, blades pointed down, ready to strike. It brought its swords down with amazing force, slicing the phoenix into three pieces. The monster disintegrated into white dust, and Nephthys' life-points dropped to 0.

"Nice try," said Nephthys, "but I'm not going to the Shadow Realm just yet. Now, my phoenix, return." The dust continued to float in the air. "What's happening?"

"Sorry, but any monster destroyed by my swordsman while it's in its highest level is returned tto the top of your deck, a place where even your phoenix can't resurrect itself." The swordsman's blades began to glow, and the dust began flowing into Nephthys' duel disk, combining to form a card on the top of her deck.

"No!" screamed Nephthys, dropping to her knees as shadow energy began flowing from the lens.

"Now," said Joey. "Give Mai's soul back."

Nephthys ignored the pain of being engulfed by shadow energy and smiled at Joey. "She really is a lucky girl. Make sure she knows how much you love her." The lens began to glow a bright gold through the shadow energy, then stopped suddenly. "I'm sorry," she said, sadly, "but it's too late. The lens won't let me return her soul."

"What do you mean? Give her back!"

"I'm sorry, but there's nothing I can do. The Lens of Revelation no longer obeys me." She turned, smiled at Horus, then disappeared behind a veil of shadow energy.

"No," said Horus. "Nephthys!" The shadow energy cleared, and the Lens of Revelation fell to the ground. Nephthys was gone. Horus shifted his gaze to Joey, who had dropped to his knees in despair. Horus raised his disk. "Get up. I'm going to take you down right here."

"Hold it right there, Horus."

"Master," said Horus, surprised.

Zorc appeared between Horus and Joey, then moved to retrieve the Lens of Revelation. "We're done here."

"Master, I can beat him."

Zorc frowned, eyes shut. "You ignored my orders once already, Horus." He opened his eyes wide, turning his head to glare directly into Horus' eyes. "Would you care to find out what happens if you disobey me a second time?" Horus lowered his disk and looked away. Zorc shifted his gaze to Yugi. "How does it feel to have your friends ripped from you, Yugi?"

"This ends now, Zorc!" said Yugi, raising his disk.

"I'm afraid not. This is only the beginning." With that, Zorc vanished.

"He's right," said Horus, looking at Joey. "This isn't over." Horus vanished as well, following his master.

Kaiba shifted his gaze toward Joey and walked over to him. "Are you going to sit there crying all day?"

"Seto!" said Serenity.

Kaiba ignored his wife. There was only one response he wanted, and he wasn't getting it. He grabbed Joey by the collar of his shirt and pulled him up. "You're not helping anyone by just sitting here wimpering like a dog."

Joey stopped crying and grew angry. He pushed Kaiba's hand away. "Who do you think you are, Kaiba?"

"I think I'm the guy who's going to help you get Mai back."

Joey looked stunned. "Wait, are you saying you're gonna help me?"

"Look, Wheeler, we may not like each other very much, but, as much as I hate to admit this, we're family now…" He glanced back at his wife, then returned his gaze to Joey. "…and no one messes with my family."

"Wow, Kaiba," said Joey. "I didn't know you had it in you."

"The fact is, nothing hurts your sister more than seeing someone she cares about in pain, and I will do anything to keep a smile on her face."

The look of confidence that Joey always wore returned to his face, and he turned around to face where Zorc had been standing. "Alright, Zorc," he shouted. "Bring on the rest of your Egyptian Gods. We'll whoop them just like we did the first two."

"In any case," said Kaiba, turning back to the group, "it's clear we're going to need more power to defeat Zorc."

"What do you mean, Seto?" asked Mokuba.

"I mean, Mokuba, that it's time to go see an old friend."


	26. Brothers in Arms

**Chapter 26**

"Why didn't you let me duel him?" asked Horus angrily, pacing back and forth in Zorc's chamber. "I would have easily taken him out!"

"No, you would have lost," said Zorc, calmly. "You were far too angry to duel."

"I could have beaten that fool with my eyes closed!"

"Calm down, Horus. I simply didn't want to reveal your power just yet."

Horus stopped pacing, took a deep breath, and turned to face his master. "I understand, master," he said, calmer but still slightly angry.

"Good." Zorc shifted his gaze away from Horus and looked towards the doorway. "Come forth, Anubis."

"My lord," said Anubis, bowing as he entered the chamber. "What is it you require?"

"I want you to go after Yugi's friends," said Zorc, smiling wickedly. "Take out as many as you can."

"As you command," said Anubis, bowing. _Now, Pharaoh, _he thought, smiling, _we shall settle our battle once and for all._ Without another word, he vanished.

"Horus," said Zorc, returning his focus to the Black Flame of Egypt. "Follow him. When he fails, you may duel whoever you want."

Horus bowed and turned around. He took a few steps toward the door, then stopped moving. "Wait," he said without turning his head. "'When' he fails?" Zorc said nothing. He just smiled. "Understood," said Horus. He took a few more steps, then vanished from the chamber.

"It seems he'll be completely obedient until he betrays me," said Zorc, still smiling.

"So it appears," said Osiris, appearing from the shadows behind Zorc's throne.

"Does it bother you," asked Zorc, "knowing that I intend to sacrifice them?"

"Of course not," said Osiris. "Those four have always been expendable."

"It's good to know you feel that way," said Zorc, smiling again. "Follow them, keep yourself hidden, and let me know the instant Horus betrays me."

"Yes, my lord," said Osiris, bowing.

"One more thing," said Zorc. "Do not take out Horus…" He turned his head back so Osiris could see the evil expression on his face. "…until I command it."

--

Yugi stood in a large hospital room, surrounded by his friends, including Mai and Rebecca, who were now lying in hospital beds. Darius also occupied a bed, and Amara was sitting faithfully by his side, clasping his hand in hers. "We need to stop them," she said.

"Don't worry, honey," said Serenity, placing a hand on her daughter's shoulder. "We will."

"If only it were that simple," said Tristan.

"He's right," said Duke. "All we know about the Egyptian Gods is that they're incredibly powerful. We have no idea where they are or where they'll strike next."

"That's not completely true," said Joey, shifting his gaze from Mai to Duke. "They're after us. Wherever we are is where they'll be."

"So you're saying that all we can do is wait for them to attack?" asked Tea.

"Unfortunately, Tea," said Joey, "that's exactly what I'm saying."

"You're right," said Anubis, appearing in the room, followed shortly by Horus. "That is all you can do."

"Oh, great," said Joey, standing. "Two of you?"

"Relax," said Horus, glaring at Joey. "I'm not here to duel." He shifted his gaze to Anubis. "At least not yet."

"That's right," said Anubis, eyeing Yugi. "You're all mine, Pharaoh."

"Not so fast," said Tristan, steeping between Yugi and Anubis. "If you want Yugi, then you're gonna have to go through me."

"Don't forget about me," said Duke, stepping up to Tristan's side with his disk raised.

"I don't have time for this," said Anubis, raising his disk. "I'll take you both on."

"Fine by me," said Tristan.

"Yeah," said Duke. "Let's do this."

Horus clenched his fist and vanished, reappearing between the three duelists. His arms were raised at his side, and his hands were open with his palms out, one facing Anubis, one facing Tristan and Duke, gesturing for them to stop. "Show some respect, all of you. We're in a hospital."

Though surprised by this, Duke had to admit that Horus had a point. He lowered his disk. "He's right. Let's take this outside." Tristan lowered his disk as well.

"I'm not going anywhere," said Anubis.

"I'm serious, Anubis," said Horus, lowering his arms and closing his eyes. "Either take this duel outside…" He opened his eyes and glared directly into Anubis' eyes. "…or deal with me."

Anubis grunted angrily, lowering his disk. "Fine." He shifted his gaze to Tristan and Duke. "I'll meet you outside," he said, vanishing.

Horus turned to the group. "My apologies," he said, bowing. "We'll wait for you outside." With that, he vanished.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" asked Tristan. "Let's get out there." He started to walk toward the door.

"Wait, Tristan," said Serenity, walking up to him. "Take this." She handed a card to him.

Tristan took the card and examined it. His eyes widened, and he smiled. "I've been looking for this card forever." He shifted his gaze to Serenity. "How'd you get it?"

"Are you kidding?" she asked, smiling. "I'm married to the richest man in Japan."

"Well, thanks," said Tristan, slipping the card into his deck. He turned to face the entire group. "Well, let's go."

The group left the room and proceeded out of the hospital, joining Horus and Anubis outside the building. "Shall we begin?" asked Anubis, raising his disk.

"You're on," said Duke as he and Tristan raised their disks. The life-point meters flashed 4000. "Let's duel."

--

Kaiba sat in the cockpit of his jet, which he had modeled after a Blue-Eyes White Dragon, pushing buttons and turning dials, adjusting the jet for take-off. "What's our status, Mokuba?" he asked through the radio.

"All set, big brother," replied Mokuba. "The Blue-Eyes White Jet is cleared for take-off."

"Excellent. Initiating launch sequence." He pushed a lever forward, igniting the engines. "Mokuba, once I'm gone, I want you to rejoin the others. I'll get back as soon as I can."

"Roger."

"Now, activate the catapult."

"Affirmative," answered Mokuba. "Blue-Eyes White Jet launching in three, two, one, now!" Mokuba pushed a button, and the jet began moving forward at an incredible velocity. After a few seconds, Kaiba pulled back on another lever, and the jet was airborne before the catapult reached the end of the runway.

_Alright, _thought Kaiba as he adjusted the course of his plane. _Now all I have to do is get to Pegasus. I just hope Zorc didn't see this coming._

--

"I'll make the first move," said Tristan, drawing his card. "First I'll summon my Cyber Commander in defense mode." A dark-skinned, muscular monster appeared on his side of the field. It wore a rocket launcher on its right shoulder, and it held a red rifle in its right hand. It had short, black hair, and a metallic mask covered the lower half of its face. The defense meter flashed 750.

"Come on, Tristan," said Duke. "Is that the best monster you've got?"

"Unfortunately, yes," replied Tristan. He turned back to Anubis. "Next I'll activate the magic card Nightmare's Steelcage." A black, metal cage covered in spikes surrounded Anubis. "Thanks to this card, none of us can attack for two whole turns."

_I get it, _thought Duke. _Tristan's using a stall tactic. That means he must be waiting for a certain card. _He shifted his gaze to Anubis. _The only problem is that, when that cage is gone, Tristan'll be an easy target. I have to make Anubis think that I'm the bigger threat so he'll go after me first, giving Tristan all the time he needs. _"My move," he said, drawing. "First I'll place a card face-down, and then I'll summon my Strike Ninja in attack mode." A humanoid monster wearing a black body-suit appeared on his side of the field. Golden bands adorned its wrists and ankles, and it wore a golden belt, as well as golden kneepads. A golden mask covered its face, and it clutched a kunai in each hand. Its long red scarf waved in the wind as the attack meter flashed 1700. "That's all for now."

"This will be easier than I thought," said Anubis, drawing. "First I activate the magic card Call of the Mummy." The card appeared on his side of the field. "Now I can summon one additional monster per turn, so long as at least one of the monsters I summon is a zombie. So now I'll place one monster in defense mode and summon my Regenerating Mummy." The face-down monster appeared first, and the attack meter flashed 1800 as the Regenerating Mummy broke through the ground and took its place on the field. "That ends my turn."

Tristan drew his card. "Now I'll summon the Steel Scorpion in defense mode." A small, blue scorpion composed entirely of metal appeared on his side of the field, and its eyes glowed bright red as the defense meter flashed 300.

_Another weak monster? _thought Duke. _I hope I'm right about his strategy. _He shifted his gaze from the scorpion to Tristan. Tristan caught his gaze and nodded. Duke nodded back, then drew his card. "Alright," he said, returning his gaze to Anubis. "Now I summon my White Ninja in attack mode." A new monster appeared on his side of the field. This one wore a white body-suit and silver armor, and its face was almost entirely obscured by its armored mask. The attack meter flashed 1500. "Next I'll place another card face-down and end my turn."

Anubis drew his card, and smiled. "I'm afraid you've just lost this duel. First I'll use Call of the Mummy and sacrifice my Regenerating Mummy to summon my Dark Dust Spirit." The Regenerating Mummy turned into sand and fell to the ground, followed by both Tristan's and Duke's monsters. The five piles of sand swirled together, forming a tornado of sand. The tornado moved across the field, slipping through the openings in the cage and stopping in front of the Call of the Mummy card, then disappeared into the ground. The ground broke open a few seconds later, and the Dark Dust Spirit emerged, taking its place on the field as the attack meter flashed 2200.

"Aw, man," said Tristan. "He destroyed all of our monsters."

"That's not our biggest problem, Tristan."

"What do you mean, Duke?"

"Think about it. If he used Call of the Mummy to summon his Dark Dust Spirit, then he must be planning on summoning another one."

"You've got a point," said Tristan, returning his gaze to Anubis. "But look on the bright side. It can't be much worse than that thing." He pointed to the Dark Dust Spirit, and Anubis began to laugh wickedly. "What's so funny?"

"What's funny is how wrong you are. The monster I'm going to summon is far worse than anything else in my deck."

"Oh, no," said Yugi. "It can't be!"

"Now I sacrifice my face-down Pyramid Turtle to summon my Egyptian God card!" The face-down monster disappeared, and the giant purple jackal took its place. It roared as the attack meter flashed 2500. "The End of Anubis!"

_That was fast, _thought Horus, smiling.

"You've gotta be kidding me," said Duke. "It's only been two turns. How did he summon his Egyptian God card so quickly?"

"More importantly," said Tristan, "how are we gonna beat that thing?"

"You aren't," said Anubis, smiling, "and if it weren't for your Nightmare's Steelcage, I'd finish off one of you right now. Unfortunately, all I can do is place one card face-down and end my turn, forcing my Dark Dust Spirit back to my hand." The zombie disappeared in a funnel of sand, reforming in Anubis' hand.

"I guess that means it's my turn," said Tristan as the cage disappeared. He drew his card, and smiled. It was the card that Serenity had given him. _Thank you, Serenity, _he thought. _This could be just what we need. _He examined his hand. _But I still need one more card to make this work. _He looked across the field. _Let's just hope I can survive that long. _"I place two cards face-down and end my turn."

_Come on, Tristan, _thought Duke, drawing his card. _If you're going to do something, now would be a good time. _He shifted his gaze to Anubis. _At least we're not in that much danger. He won't sacrifice his God card just to destroy our monsters, so he probably won't play his Dark Dust Spirit again, which means all we have to do is build up our defenses. _He looked down at his hand. _Fortunately, I have just the right cards to both protect myself and draw his attacks. _"Now I summon the Armed Ninja in defense mode." A new ninja appeared on his side of the field, this one wearing a black body-suit and blue armor. Its face was concealed by a blue helmet, and it clutched a long sickle in its right hand. The defense meter flashed 300. "Next I'll activate one of my face-down cards, a trap card known as Ninjitsu Art of Replication." He raised the card. "Here's how it works. First I select one ninja on my side of the field, in this case, my Armed Ninja. Next, I roll a die. If the result is a one, two, or three, I summon that many Ninja Clone tokens, each with equal attack and defense points to my selected ninja. If I roll a four or a five, then I can summon up to two ninjas from my hand. Last, if I roll a six, I can summon a ninja directly from my deck. Now here goes." He said, gesturing outward. "Go dice-roll!" A die appeared on the field and began rolling. As it rolled, Duke thought to himself. _It's true that rolling a one, two, three, four, or five would allow me to solidify my defenses, but if I roll a six, I can summon the strongest ninja in my deck and take out his Egyptian God card. _The die slowed, coming to a stop with the number six facing up. "Yes, a six. That means I can summon any ninja I want from my deck, and I choose to summon my Experienced Strike Ninja." Yet another ninja appeared on his side of the field, this one nearly identical to the first Strike Ninja. The only differences between the two were that the new ninja's uniform was torn in several places, and its scarf was quite damaged as well. The key difference, however, was the large tear in the uniform over the ninja's chest, which left a large scar exposed. The attack meter flashed 2350. "This is the strongest ninja in the game, and he's about to get stronger, because now I'm going to equip him with a magic card known as Fuhma Shuriken, raising his attack power by 700." A large shuriken appeared on the ninja's belt, and the attack meter rose to 3050.

"Alright, Duke," said Tristan. "Nice move."

"Thanks, but I'm not done. Next I'll have my ninja attack the End of Anubis." Duke's ninja took the shuriken from its belt, ready to hurl it at the Egyptian God card.

"Not so fast," said Anubis. "I have a trap card of my own." He raised the card. "Activate Ordeal of a Traveler." The giant sphinx with glowing red eyes appeared on his side of the field. "Thanks to this card, whenever you attack, I select a card in my hand, and you have to guess what kind of card it is. If you guess wrong, your monster is destroyed." He held up a card from his hand. "Care to try your luck?"

_Okay, _thought Duke, _gotta think. He probably wouldn't use the Dark Dust Spirit, but since it's the only card in his hand that I know, I have to take a chance and call monster._ "Alright, Anubis, I'll guess that it's a monster card."

"Sorry, but wrong. The card I chose was the magic card Shifting Shadows." He revealed the card. "That means that your monster is destroyed." The eyes of the sphinx glowed brighter before firing energy beams at the ninja, vaporizing it. The shuriken fell to the ground, then vanished.

"Oh, well," said Duke. "It wasn't a total loss."

"What do you mean?" asked Anubis.

"When you destroyed my monster, you sent my Fuhma Shuriken to the graveyard, and when that happens, you lose 700 life-points." As he said this, the shuriken reappeared behind Anubis and proceeded to strike him. Anubis screamed in pain as his life-points fell to 3300.

"You'll pay for that," said Anubis, the Pyramid of Light draining his life-force. "You may have managed to damage me, but I will win this duel, and when I do, you will lose more than just your souls." He drew his card, then turned to his monster. "End of Anubis, destroy his ninja with Purgatory Flash!" The giant monster charged its energy and fired it at the ninja.

"Not so fast," said Duke. "Activate trap card." He raised his face-down card. "Ninjitsu Art of Decoy. As long as this card remains on the field, one of my ninjas can't be destroyed in battle, and I choose my Armed Ninja." The energy blast approached Duke's monster, but the ninja vanished, and a short log took its place. The ninja reappeared a few feet away, and the log was vaporized instead.

"No matter," said Anubis. "I'll still win this duel."

"You're a fool, Anubis."

Anubis turned around. "How dare you, Horus," he said, angrily.

"How dare I? You're playing right into their hands and you don't even see it." He pointed to Duke. "That one hasn't been trying to defeat you. He's been drawing your attacks from the beginning, stalling for the other."

A look of realization crossed Anubis' face, and he turned to face Duke and Tristan. _He's right, _he thought, examining the field. _How could I have been so foolish? _He looked at Duke and smiled wickedly.

_Oh, no, _thought Duke, a worried expression on his face. _He's on to me._

"Don't worry, Horus," said Anubis. "I won't fall for it again."

_If you survive this turn, that is, _thought Horus.

"It's my move," said Tristan, drawing. He examined the card he drew, then looked directly at Anubis, smiling. "Alright, Anubis. It's time to take you down."

"What do you mean? I still have my Egyptian God card and over 3000 life-points."

"Not for long." He placed the card he drew in his duel disk. "Now I activate the magic card Polymerization, fusing together my Roboyarou and Robolady cards." The two monsters appeared, one a man wearing light-blue, mechanical armor, the other a woman wearing pink, mechanical armor, and fused together, forming a new monster. This one wore heavier, light-blue armor with spikes extending from the shoulder-pads. The weapon it held in its left hand had long blades extending from both ends of the handle, each charged with electricity. The attack meter flashed 1200.

"That monster can't possibly defeat me," said Anubis.

"It can once I activate this." He raised his one of his face-down cards, and a strange machine with what appeared to be a radar dish appeared on his side of the field. "It's a rare trap card known as Cyber Summon Blaster, and whenever I summon a machine monster, I can use it to inflict 300 points of damage to your life-points. Next I'll activate Super Roboyarou's special ability. By returning him to the fusion deck, I can summon Super Robolady." His monster vanished, replaced by a similar monster. This one was female and wore pink armor. The attack meter flashed 1200. "And, since I've just summoned a machine monster, you take 300 points of damage." Energy began charging in the dish, and it fired a laser beam across the field, striking Anubis. He screamed as his life-points dropped to 3000. "Next I'll use Super Robolady's effect to replace her with Super Roboyarou." The two monsters switched, and the blaster activated again, taking Anubis' life-points down further.

"I can't believe it," said Anubis as his life energy was drained by his shadow item. "I lost to you!?"

"Looks like," said Tristan. He continued to switch out his monsters until he had Super Robolady on the field and only 600 of Anubis' life-points remained. "Now I'll use her effect to switch them one last time and bring your life-points down to 300." The monsters switched again, and the Cyber Summon Blaster took another 300 points from Anubis.

"What do you mean by one last time?" asked Anubis. "I still have 300 life-points left."

"And I still have two more cards to play," said Tristan. "Now I activate my face-down Dust Tornado, allowing me to destroy your trap card." He raised the card, and a swirling wind surrounded Anubis' Ordeal of a Traveler card, ripping it to shreds. "Next I activate the magic card Rare Metal Soul, allowing me to increase one monster's attack points by 1000 until the end of the turn, and I choose my Super Roboyarou." The attack meter rose to 2200. "Now, attack his Egyptian God card." His monster complied, leaping across the field at the giant monster.

"You fool," said Anubis. "My monster still has 300 more attack points than yours."

"Not quite," said Tristan. "Whenever Super Roboyarou attacks a monster, it gains 1000 extra attack points." The attack meter rose again, this time to 3200, and Tristan's monster plunged its blade into the End of Anubis. The giant monster howled as electricity flowed through its body, and Anubis' life-points dropped to 0 as his monster exploded.

"No!!" screamed Anubis as waves of shadow energy emerged from the Pyramid of Light and surrounded him. After a few seconds, the shadows cleared, revealing nothing but the pyramid and Anubis' deck.

"Yeah," said Duke and Tristan in unison.

"You guys did it," said Serenity happily.

Tristan turned to face her. "It was all thanks to your trap card, Serenity."

"Yes, it was all thanks to that card," said Horus, stepping forward. "Do you think it will save you again?"

"Looks like we've got another opponent, Tristan," said Duke as Tristan turned around.

"No sweat," said Tristan as the two raised their disks. "We'll just take him down too."

"Don't think that I will be so easy," said Horus, raising his disk. The life-point meters flashed 4000. "Let's duel."


	27. Dissonance

**Chapter 27**

"I'll start things off again," said Tristan, drawing. He looked at his hand. _Alright, _he thought. _I've got the entire combo already. _He looked across the field at Horus. _However, what I don't have is any idea what kind of cards he's going to play. I better not take any chances. _"First I'll place three cards face-down, and then I'll activate Polymerization, fusing together Roboyarou and Robolady to summon Super Roboyarou." The fused monster appeared, and the attack meter flashed 1200. "That ends my turn."

_Alright, _thought Duke, looking at Tristan's face-down cards. _One of those cards must be Cyber Summon Blaster, which means Tristan is already prepared to finish this duel. _He shifted his gaze to Horus. _Unfortunately, Horus is going to see it coming, so I'll need to protect Tristan from his attacks. _He looked at his hand. _And the only way to do that is to summon my strongest monster and force Horus to focus on me. _"Here goes," he said, drawing. He examined the card he drew. _Perfect. _"I activate my Summon Dice magic card." The card appeared on his side of the field. "Here's how it works. First I give up 1000 life-points, and then I roll a die and activate one of three effects depending on what I roll." His life-points fell to 3000, and white die emerged from the card and began rolling across the field. "If I roll a one or a two, I can summon two monsters this turn. If I roll a three or a four, I can summon a monster from my graveyard, and if I roll a five or a six, I can summon a powerful monster from my hand without a sacrifice." The die came to a stop, and the number five was facing up. "Alright, a five. That means I can summon a powerful monster without sacrificing something else first." He took a card from his hand. "Meet Orgoth the Relentless." A large, blue monster appeared on his side of the field. Purple armor lined with gold covered most of its body. Its face was obscured beneath an oversized, horned helmet, and it held a massive sword in its hands. The attack meter flashed 2500. "Next I'll place two cards face-down and end my turn."

"Nice move, Duke," said Tristan.

"Do you really think that summoning a powerful monster is going to keep me from attacking your friend?" asked Horus, drawing. "First I play Heavy Storm to destroy all of your magic and trap cards." A whirlwind surrounded the field, blowing across the four face-down cards.

"Sorry, Horus," said Tristan, "but I was waiting for that. Now I activate a trap card known as Fake Trap." He raised one of his face-down cards. "This card allows me to protect every one of our trap cards from your magic card." An extra card appeared above each of the four face-down cards, and the extra cards were destroyed instead.

Horus smiled. "Impressive, but that won't stop me. Now I activate a magic card known as Mausoleum of the Emperor." The field magic slot opened on his duel disk, and he placed the card inside. As he did, an ancient structure appeared behind him. The structure had a short set of stairs leading up to a large, stone cylinder, as well as a stone pillar on each side of the cylinder. "This card allows me to summon powerful monsters by sacrificing life-points instead of monsters, so now I'll give up 500 life-points to summon my Gravi-Crush Dragon." His life-points fell to 3500, and a fire erupted from the cylinder on the structure behind him. The muscular dragon appeared, and the attack meter flashed 2400 as the fire went out. "Now to deal with your monster," said Horus, directing his gaze to Tristan. He lowered his disk and reached for his amulet. "Behold the power of the Amulet of Dissonance!" The eye on his Shadow Item began to glow bright red, and a red aura surrounded the Super Roboyarou. After a few seconds, the fused monster split into Roboyarou and Robolady, and the attack meters flashed 900 and 450 respectively.

"What happened?" asked Tristan. "Why did my monster split apart?"

"That's the power of my Shadow Item," said Horus as the amulet stopped glowing. "The Amulet of Dissonance severs any bond that may form, including fusion."

"So, basically, you're saying that fusion monsters are useless against you," said Duke.

Horus smiled again. "Among other things. Now I'll activate a rare magic card known as Ground Collapse." The card appeared on his field. "As you know, each player has five zones in which to play a monster. With Ground Collapse, I can destroy two of those zones, as well as any monsters occupying them that can't fly." He turned to Tristan. "That means both of your monsters are destroyed." The field beneath Tristan's monsters collapsed, and the two monsters fell into the holes, vanishing from the field. "Next I'll activate my dragon's special ability. By sending one magic card on my side of the field to the graveyard, I can destroy any monster on the field." He turned to Duke. "So now I'll sacrifice my Ground Collapse to destroy your Orgoth." The magic card vanished from Horus' field, and the dragon raised its arms above its head. It clasped its hands together, then slammed its arms against the ground, sending a massive shockwave across the field at Duke's monster. The shockwave reached Orgoth, vaporizing it in an instant. "Unfortunately," said Horus, turning back to Tristan, "without my Ground Collapse, you get your monster zones back." As he said this, the ground reformed on Tristan's side of the field. "Now I'll place one card face-down, and then I'll have my Gravi-Crush Dragon attack your life-points directly." The dragon obeyed its master's command and leapt toward Tristan. It pulled its arm back, then immediately thrust it forward, bringing its fist down on Tristan with incredible force. Tristan slid back a few feet, then dropped to his knees as his life-points fell to 1600. The Amulet of Dissonance began to glow as Horus' monster returned to him, and a red aura surrounded both Tristan and Duke.

"What happened, Duke?" asked Tristan, angrily. "You knew what I was planning. Didn't you have a card to protect me?"

"That was what Orgoth was for," said Duke, angered by Tristan's comment. "How was I supposed to know he could destroy all of our monsters? Besides, since when is it my job to protect you?"

"Since I'm helping you beat this guy."

"Well you haven't been that much help so far."

"What's going on?" asked Rex. "Aren't those two supposed to be friends?"

"It's that amulet," answered Marik. "Horus said it could sever any bond. That must include friendship."

"So he can even use it to tear friendships apart?" said Tea. "That's horrible."

"Yes, it is," said Yugi, "but that amulet doesn't concern me nearly as much as his deck. He played three incredibly rare and powerful cards in his first turn, and something tells me that it wasn't just luck that he happened to draw them all in the same turn."

"What do you mean, Yug'?" asked Joey.

"His deck must be filled with cards that are just as rare and powerful. Also, he waited until after he used his amulet to play that Ground Collapse card. If he had played it without using his amulet, he could have destroyed both of their monsters and still kept it on the field, which means he either wanted us to know what his Shadow Item was capable of, or he's going easy on them."

Tristan drew his card and examined it. "Alright, Duke. If you don't need my help, then you can fight this duel on your own. Now I activate the magic card Nightmare's Steelcage, and I'll use it on myself so you two can still duel." The cage appeared, surrounding Tristan's side of the field.

"Fine," said Duke, drawing. "I don't need you anyway." He turned his attention to Horus. "Now I summon my Strike Ninja in defense mode." His monster appeared, and the defense meter flashed 1200. "Next I'll activate one of my face-down cards." He raised the card. "Ninjitsu Art of Replication. As I'm sure you remember, this card allows me to summon more ninjas depending on what I roll." A die appeared and rolled across the field, coming to rest with the number three facing up. "Excellent. Since I rolled a three, that means I can summon three Ninja Clone tokens." Three new monsters appeared on his side of the field, each identical to the Strike Ninja. The defense meter flashed 1200 for each of them. "That ends my turn."

Horus drew his card. _Perfect. _"Now I'll give up 500 more life-points to summon my Magna-Slash Dragon." His life-points fell to 3000, and a fire blazed in the cylinder again, extinguishing as soon as Horus' new dragon appeared. This one was light-green and slender, with bladed wings attached to its arms. Spikes ran the length of its back, from the tip of its nose all the way down to nearly the end of its tail. It roared as the attack meter flashed 2400. "Next I'll activate my new monster's special ability. By sending one magic card from my side of the field to the graveyard, I can destroy any magic or trap card on the field. So now I'll sacrifice my Mausoleum of the Emperor to destroy your Nightmare's Steelcage." The stone structure disappeared from the field as Horus removed the card from his disk and placed it in his graveyard. At the same time, the Magna-Slash Dragon vanished, slicing the cage in half before reappearing in front of Horus. The top half of the cage slid to the ground, and both halves vanished from the field.

"Aw, man," said Tristan. "Now my life-points are wide open!"

Horus smiled, then turned to his monster. "Magna-Slash Dragon, finish him off!" At its master's command, the dragon rushed forward, slashing Tristan with its bladed wings and reducing his life-points to 0.

"No, Tristan!" shouted Serenity.

"He lost," said Tea.

Horus reached for his shadow item. "Now your soul belongs to me," he said as a wave of shadow energy erupted from the amulet.

"Sorry about before Duke," said Tristan as the shadow energy surrounded him. He smiled weakly. "Beat this guy for me, will ya?"

"Tristan," said Duke. He nodded. "You got it." Tristan strengthened his smile, then screamed in pain as the shadows engulfed him. After a few seconds, the shadows dissipated, and Tristan's soulless body fell to the ground. Duke clenched his fist, then turned to face his opponent. "Alright, Horus. Now I'm going to take you down."

"I'm afraid not," said Horus. "I've already taken your friend's soul, and soon I'll claim your soul as well."

--

_Alright, Pegasus, _thought Kaiba, flying over the ocean in his Blue-Eyes White Jet. _You'd better have a card that can help us._

"Now approaching the estate of Maximillion Pegasus," said the onboard computer as Pegasus' mansion came into view.

"I can see that," said Kaiba, deactivating the autopilot and reaching for the controls. "Computer, search for optimum landing site."

"Affirmative. Now searching…optimum landing site confirmed. Displaying search results." Kaiba looked at the display screen, then maneuvered his jet to the space his computer indicated, landing on a small patch of land between Pegasus' mansion and the ocean. After opening the cockpit and jumping out, he walked around the mansion to the main entrance and pressed the button on the intercom.

"This is Seto Kaiba. I'm here to see Pegasus." He took his finger off the button and waited a few seconds. When no one responded, he pressed the button again. "This is Seto Kaiba. I'm here to see Maximillion Pegasus." He waited again, but there was still no answer. _Something's wrong, _he thought, reaching for the door. He turned the knob, and his eyes widened when he found that the door was unlocked. _This isn't good, _he thought, stepping inside. _I may already be too late._

--

"Now that your friend is out of my way," said Horus, "it's time to deal with you."

"It's not going to be that easy, Horus," said Duke. "Remember, I still have four monsters on the field."

"That may be true now, but don't forget about the drawback to your Ninjitsu Art of Replication card. If the original ninja is destroyed, then every ninja summoned by that card is also destroyed." He turned to his monster. "Gravi-Crush Dragon, attack the ninja on the far right." The dragon leapt forward, ready to strike.

"Not so fast, Horus," said Duke, raising one of his face-down cards. "I activate the trap card Ninjitsu Art of Decoy. Just in case you manage hit my original Strike Ninja, this card will protect it from your attack."

"I'm afraid not," said Horus. "I've got a trap card of my own." He raised his face-down card. "It's called Seven Tools of the Bandit, and it allows me to negate any trap card I choose at the cost of 1000 life-points." His life-points dropped to 2000, and Duke's trap card vanished from the field. Horus smiled, then turned to his monster. "Now, Gravi-Crush Dragon, destroy his ninja." The dragon brought its massive arm down on the ninja, destroying it instantly. The other three ninjas, however, remained on the field. "Looks like I missed."

"Looks like," said Duke, drawing. "Now I summon my Crimson Ninja in defense mode." A new ninja appeared on his side of the field. This one wore a red, loose-fitting body-suit, as well as red armor. Its face was hidden behind a red mask, and it held a sword in each hand. The defense meter flashed 300. "That's all for now."

Horus drew his card. "Let's try this again," he said, turning to his monster. "Gravi-Crush Dragon, attack the ninja on the left." The dragon leapt across the field and slammed its fist into the ninja, destroying it. At the same time, the remaining Ninja Clones vanished, leaving only the Crimson Ninja.

_No, _thought Duke. _He hit my Strike Ninja._

"So much for your clones," said Horus, smiling again. "Now, Magna-Slash Dragon, destroy his last ninja." The dragon rushed forward and slashed the ninja in half with its wings, destroying it. "That ends my turn," said Horus as his monster returned to him.

Duke drew his card and examined it. _I wish I'd drawn this sooner, _he thought, looking at his strongest ninja. _Now I've got nothing to sacrifice. _He looked at the rest of his hand. _And with no ninjas on the field, my Fuhma Shuriken is also useless. I should have used it to take out one of his dragons when I had the chance. _He looked across the field, then returned his gaze to his hand, focusing on his last card. _The only card I can even play right now is Bait Doll, but there's nothing on the field to use it on. _A look of realization crossed his face, and he looked to his right. _Wait, Tristan's face-down cards. Thanks to the Fake Trap card he played earlier, I know that they're both trap cards, and only one of them can be Cyber Summon Blaster, which means the other one might be able to help me. _He shifted his gaze to Horus. _Here goes. _"Alright, Horus. I activate a magic card known as Bait Doll." A strange doll holding a scythe appeared behind one of Tristan's face-down cards. "This card allows me to raise any face-down magic or trap card on the field. If it turns out to be a magic card, then it's placed face-down again, but if it's a trap card, then it's instantly activated under my control. Of course, if it can't be activated, then it's automatically destroyed." He turned to the doll. "Now go, Bait Doll. Raise the card closest to me." The doll complied, puncturing the card with the blade of its scythe, then used the scythe to pull the card up. Duke smiled when he saw the card. "Excellent," he said, returning his gaze to Horus. "Now I'll activate Tristan's A Rival Appears trap card. Here's how it works. First I select a monster on your side of the field, and then I summon a monster from my hand with an equal level, and since both of your monsters are level six, I can summon my level six Experienced Strike Ninja." The doll and the trap card vanished, and the ninja appeared as the attack meter flashed 2350. "Next I'll equip him with my Fuhma Shuriken, raising his attack power by 700." The shuriken appeared on the ninja's belt, and the attack meter rose to 3050. "Now, Experienced Strike Ninja, destroy his Gravi-Crush Dragon." Duke's ninja jumped into the air, then threw the shuriken at the muscular dragon, slicing it in half and destroying it. The shuriken flew through the air and returned to the ninja, and Horus shielded his face from the shockwaves as his life-points fell to 1350. "Take that, Horus," said Duke as his ninja returned to the ground.

"This duel has gone on long enough," said Horus. "I was trying to go easy on you, but now I'll show no mercy." He took a card from his hand without even drawing his next card. "Prepare to face my Egyptian God card."

"What!?" said Duke.

"Oh, no," said Yugi.

"Now I summon Horus the Black Flame Dragon!" A small, mechanical bird with red eyes appeared on his side of the field. Its metal scales were tinted with black, and it screeched as the attack meter flashed 1600.

"Wait," said Duke. "That's your Egyptian God card?"

_That can't be right, _thought Yugi. _Horus is clearly more powerful than the last three Egyptian Gods, so how can his monster be so weak? Unless…_ "Duke, be careful! It's an evolving monster!"

"I'm impressed, Pharaoh," said Horus, "but your warning won't save him." He turned back to Duke. "Now I'll activate the magic card Level Up, allowing me to raise my dragon to its highest level." Black flames enveloped the small bird, and it screeched as the flames grew, forming the shape of a giant monster. With a screech that now sounded closer to a roar, the flames disappeared, revealing a massive dragon. It now had arms in addition to its massive wings, and every inch of its metal body was tinted with black. A blue gem now adorned its forehead, and its red eyes glowed as the attack meter flashed 3000. "This is my monster's true form."

"Big deal," said Duke. "My ninja still has more attack points."

"Not for long," he said, turning to his monster. "Horus, destroy his shuriken." The glow of the dragon's eyes changed from red to black, and the shuriken was enveloped in black flames. After consuming the shuriken, the flames dissipated, and the attack meter for the ninja dropped to 2350.

"Don't forget, Horus, that my shuriken has another ability. When it's destroyed, you lose 700 life-points." The shuriken appeared behind Horus, ready to strike.

"I'm afraid not." He snapped his fingers. "Horus!" After hearing its name, the dragon's eyes glowed black again, and the shuriken was consumed by black flames once again.

"What happened?" asked Duke.

"Now that my dragon on the field," answered Horus, "magic cards are completely useless against me, and since your shuriken is gone, your ninja is now weaker than both of my monsters." He turned to his weaker dragon. "Magna-Slash Dragon, destroy his monster." The dragon vanished, reappearing in front of the ninja before slashing it with its wings and destroying it. The dragon returned to its master as Duke's life-points dropped to 2950. Horus smiled, then gestured toward Duke with his armored arm. "Now, Horus the Black Flame Dragon, wipe out his life-points with Black Flame Fireblast!" The dragon opened its mouth, and a stream of black fire erupted from it, heading straight for Duke. The attack struck, and Duke screamed in pain as his life-points fell to 0.

"Aw, no," said Joey.

"Not Duke too," said Tea.

"Now your soul is mine," said Horus as shadow energy emerged from the amulet once again, ripping the soul from Duke's body. After a few seconds, Duke's body joined Tristan's on the ground. "Now," said Horus, shifting his gaze to the group, "who will be my next opponent?"

"I shall duel you," said Mako. "I must redeem myself after our last duel."

"No way," said Rex, stepping up beside him. "I want a piece of this guy."

"Alright, then we shall both duel."

"No!" Mako and Rex turned to see Serenity walking up behind them with her head lowered. "He's mine," she said as she walked between them. She took a few more steps, then stopped and raised her head. "I'm not going to let you hurt any more of my friends," she said, raising her disk.

"Very well," said Horus, raising his disk to meet hers. "Let's duel."


	28. Serenity Kaiba Pt 1

**Chapter 28**

"You may have the first move, my dear," said Horus, bowing slightly.

"Thank you," said Serenity, drawing her cards. "I'll place a card face-down, and then I'll summon my Shining Angel in defense mode." A blond, male angel wearing humble, white clothing appeared on her side of the field. Its four golden wings were folded over its body, shielding it. The defense meter flashed 800. "That ends my turn."

Horus drew his card. "First I'll activate my Ground Collapse magic card, allowing me to destroy two of your monster zones." The ground next to Serenity's monster disappeared, followed quickly by the ground underneath the angel. The monster opened its wings as the ground vanished and hovered safely above the hole. "Unfortunately, flying monsters can still occupy those zones. Now I'll summon my Masked Dragon in attack mode." A small, white dragon with a red underside appeared on his side of the field. Its tail was as twice as long as its body, and its long neck ended in a white face that resembled a strange mask. The attack meter flashed 1400. "Next I'll place a card face-down, and then I'll have my dragon attack your angel." The dragon flew across the field, whipping the angel with its long tail and destroying it.

"I may have lost my monster," said Serenity, "but now, thanks to its special ability, I can summon a new monster. You see, when my Shining Angel is destroyed, I'm allowed to summon any light monster from my deck with 1500 attack points or less, so now I summon my Light Effigy in defense mode." A new monster appeared on her side of the field, taking a position above solid ground. The monster was composed entirely of rings of light. The defense meter flashed 0. "Now, check this out," she said, drawing. "I activate my monster's special ability. When I summon a powerful light monster, I can sacrifice my Effigy in place of the rest of the tribute. So now I'll sacrifice it to summon my Wingweaver." Half of the rings that formed the Effigy separated from it, forming a second one. Both effigies then disappeared, replaced by a beautiful female angel wearing a gold dress. It had long, purple hair, and its six white wings glimmered in the light. The attack meter flashed 2750. "You destroyed one of my monsters, so now I'll return the favor." She turned to her monster. "Wingweaver, attack and destroy his Masked Dragon." The angel's wings began to glow bright white, and it flew forward, slamming into the dragon with its wings and destroying it. Shockwaves blew past Horus as his life-points dropped to 2650.

"Impressive," said Horus, "but like your Shining Angel, my dragon also has a special ability. When it's destroyed, I can summon any dragon from my deck with 1500 attack points or less, so now I'll summon my Armed Dragon in attack mode." A new dragon appeared on his side of the field. This one was small and gray, and small blades covered most of its body. Its eyes were green, and the lower half of its body was orange. The attack meter flashed 1200. "Now it's my move…" He drew his card. "…and my dragon grows to its next level." The dragon grew bigger, and the orange parts of its body turned red. The blades covering its body grew bigger, and spikes formed on its body as well. There was now also a drill on each of its knees, and the dragon was hunched over with the weight of the blades. The attack meter flashed 2400.

"Oh, no," said Yugi. "Another evolving monster!"

"Next I'll activate the magic card Level Up, raising my dragon to its highest level." The dragon grew again, faster this time. It now stood upright, and the gray parts of its body had become metallic, forming an armor that covered its entire upper body. Its head was now covered in armor as well, and short, curved blades ran the length of its neck as well as its torso. Spikes covered its shoulders, and the red parts of its body grew darker. Its wings were now solid metal, sharpened along the edge. Its claws were now also metal, and small blades extended from each of its knuckles. The attack meter flashed 3000.

"Unbelievable," said Tea.

"That thing is huge," said Mako.

"Don't worry," said Amara, smiling. "It may be strong, but it's nothing my mother can't handle."

"This is one of the most powerful monsters in my deck," said Horus, "second only to my Egyptian God card, and now I'll have it destroy your monster." He turned to his dragon. "Armed Dragon, attack her angel with Armored Blade-Strike!" The dragon ran forward, slashing the angel with its claws and destroying it. Serenity shielded her face from the shockwaves as her life-points fell to 3750. "Now that your monster is out of my way," said Horus as his monster returned to him, "it won't be long before I win this duel."

--

"Hello," yelled Kaiba, walking down the hall of Pegasus' mansion. "Is anyone here?" No one answered, and Kaiba frowned. He had walked through most of the mansion already and found no one. _Zorc must have seen this coming, _he thought. _He seems to always be one step ahead of us. _He walked a few more feet and came upon another room. He opened the door and looked inside to see Pegasus lying on the ground. "Oh, no," he said out loud, running over to Pegasus' soulless body. "Looks like I'm too late after all." The folded piece of paper in Pegasus' hand caught his eye, and he reached for it. He unfolded it to discover a note, and he began reading it.

AH, MY DEAR FRIEND KAIBA-BOY. SO SORRY WE HAD TO MEET AGAIN LIKE THIS, BUT I'M AFRAID THAT ZORC KNEW THAT YOU WOULD COME TO SEE ME, SO HE SENT ONE OF HIS MINIONS TO DEAL WITH ME, AND I'M AFRAID HE SUCCEEDED.

_Wonderful, _thought Kaiba. _Even without a soul, he's still as annoying as ever. _He kept reading.

NOW, NOW. THERE'S NO REASON TO BE RUDE. AFTER ALL, IT'S BEEN SUCH A LONG TIME, AND YOU CAME TO ME FOR HELP. Kaiba frowned. OH, VERY WELL. GETTING RIGHT TO THE POINT, I DO HAVE SOMETHING THAT CAN HELP YOU. MY DARLING CECILIA HOLDS THE KEY.

_Cecilia, _thought Kaiba. _He must mean a painting._ He read a bit further.

BRAVO, KAIBA-BOY. I KNEW YOU'D FIGURE IT OUT. NOW, BEFORE YOU LEAVE, CHECK MY DECK. I BELIEVE YOU'LL FIND SOMETHING USEFUL IN THERE AS WELL.

Putting the note aside, Kaiba picked up Pegasus' deck and flipped through it. One card in particular caught his attention. He took the Blue-Eyes White Dragon from the deck. _Pegasus, you snake._ He picked up the note again.

I'M SORRY, KAIBA-BOY, BUT I COULDN'T RESIST. NOW, YOU SHOULD PROBABLY GET GOING, DON'T YOU THINK?

--

"It's my move now," said Serenity, drawing. "First I'll play Pot of Greed, allowing me to draw two new cards from my deck." She drew the cards, and frowned when she saw one of them. _Polymerization? _she thought. _That won't help. He'll use his amulet the moment I fuse my monsters. _She looked at her deck. _But my deck has never let me down before. Seto taught me how to win, but Joey taught me to always trust my deck._ She shifted her gaze to Horus. _I hope I'm not making a mistake. _"Now I activate a magic card known as Fall From Grace. This card allows me to summon a Fallen One from my deck, as long as I discard an angel from my hand." She took a card from her hand and placed it in her graveyard. "So now I'll discard one of my Shining Angels to summon Marie the Fallen One." A female angel with black wings appeared on her side of the field. It wore a pink dress and had blond hair, but its skin was pitch-black. The attack meter flashed 1700. "Next I'll activate the magic card Polymerization, allowing me to fuse Marie the Fallen One with The Forgiving Maiden to summon St. Joan." The Forgiving Maiden appeared on the field, then the two monsters combined together, creating a new monster. This one was female and had short, orange hair. It wore black pants, and its upper body was covered by silver armor lined with gold. It held a long sword in its hand, which it brought down to its side as the attack meter flashed 2800.

"Serenity, no!" said Tea.

"What's she doing?" asked Marik. "She saw what the amulet can do."

Horus reached for his amulet, but stopped. "No," he said. "You are a skilled opponent, and that was a brave move." He lowered his hand. "I wish to fight you honorably."

Serenity smiled. "I thought you might say that," said Serenity. "Now I'll summon my Command Angel in attack mode." A new monster appeared on her side of the field. This one was also a female angel, and it wore green pants as well as a sleeveless, skin-tight yellow shirt. Its short, brown hair was concealed beneath a green beret, and it wore black armbands as well as black gloves and boots. It unfolded its majestic, white wings as the attack meter flashed 1200. "As long as this monster remains on the field, all fairy monsters gain 400 attack points." The attack meters for Command Angel and St. Joan rose to 1600 and 3200 respectively. "Now, thanks to the additional attack points it received, St. Joan is strong enough to destroy your dragon." She turned to her monster. "St. Joan, attack." Pure-white wings appeared on the back of St. Joan's armor, and it flew forward with its sword raised. It reached the dragon and brought its sword down, slicing the dragon in half and reducing Horus' life-points to 2450. "Next, it's my angel's turn to attack."

"I'm afraid not," said Horus. "Reveal face-down card." He raised the card. "It's called Super Rejuvenation, and it allows me to bring back one dragon that was destroyed during the same phase, so now my dragon returns." The dragon reappeared on the field, and the attack meter flashed 3000.

"Alright," said Serenity. "Since I can't attack you, I'll just place one more card face-down and end my turn."

Horus drew his card. "Now I activate a magic card known as The Dark Door." The card appeared on his side of the field. "As long as this card remains on the field, we can only attack with one monster during each of our turns." A rectangular barrier of green energy appeared between their fields. "Next I'll activate my dragon's special ability. By discarding one card from my hand, I can destroy every face-up monster on your side of the field." He took a card from his hand and placed it in his graveyard. At the same time, his dragon opened its mouth and launched a ball of silver fire directly at the St. Joan. The fireball hit its target and exploded, covering Serenity's field in silver fire and destroying her monsters. "Now your life-points are wide open."

"Not quite," said Serenity, smiling.

"What do you mean?" asked Horus.

"You destroyed my St. Joan, and when that happens, I can summon a new monster from my hand or deck." The St. Joan reappeared on the field, but it now wore a beautiful white dress. Long, golden sashes extended from each of its shoulders, wrapping around its arms. It spread its beautiful, golden wings as the attack meter flashed 2800. "Meet my favorite card, Guardian Angel Joan."

"Amazing," said Tea, admiring Serenity's monster.

"That's a very beautiful monster," said Horus, smiling. "However, it's no match for my dragon." He turned to his monster. "Armed Dragon, attack with Armored Blade-Strike!" The barrier faded, and the dragon rushed forward with its claws raised, ready to strike.

It was Serenity's turn to smile. "Don't take me so lightly, Horus. After all, I earned the name Kaiba. Activate trap cards." She raised one of her face-down cards. "First, my Astral Barrier. This card allows me to redirect any of your attacks directly at my life-points." A green, transparent version of Serenity appeared in front of Guardian Angel Joan, staring confidently at the approaching dragon.

Horus laughed. "How foolish. Once my dragon's attack hits, you'll lose 3000 life-points."

"That's what my other trap card is for." She raised her other face-down card. "It's called Spirit Barrier. With this card, I won't take any damage from your attacks as long as there's a monster on my side of the field." A golden aura surrounded the Guardian Angel Joan, then another surrounded the astral version of Serenity. The dragon brought its claws down on the astral creation, destroying it. Serenity's life-points, however, were untouched.

"Aw, yeah," said Joey. "Awesome, sis."

Serenity glanced back over her shoulder. "Thanks, Joey," she said before returning gaze to Horus.

_Incredible, _thought Tea. _I can't believe that she's the same girl from twenty years ago._

"It's your move," said Horus as his dragon returned and the barrier reappeared.

Serenity drew her card. "Perfect. I activate the magic card Card of Sanctity. Now we both draw until we're holding six cards." Serenity drew a full six cards, while Horus drew four.

"Hey guys," said Mokuba, running up to the group. "What did I miss?"

"Two more Egyptian Gods attacked us," answered Marik. "Tristan and Duke managed to take out Anubis, but then they lost their souls to Horus. So now Serenity is dueling Horus to get their souls back."

Mokuba smiled. "I feel kind of sorry for Horus," he said, looking straight at Serenity. "He's not gonna know what hit him."

"Next I activate Monster Reborn," said Serenity, "allowing me to bring back my Command Angel in defense mode." The monster appeared, and the defense meter flashed 1900. At the same time, the attack meter for Guardian Angel Joan rose to 3200. "Now I'm going to take down your dragon." She turned to her monster. "Guardian Angel Joan, attack with Shining Radiance!" The barrier disappeared again, and the angel's wings began to glow, emitting a brilliant golden light. The light grew brighter and brighter, until Horus was forced to look away. When he was finally able to return his gaze to the field, his monster had vanished. The barrier reappeared, and Horus' life-points fell to 2250. "Now I activate my angel's special ability," said Serenity. "Whenever Guardian Angel Joan destroys a monster, I gain life-points equal to that monster's attack points, giving me an additional 3000 life-points." Her life-points rose to 6750. "That ends my turn."

Horus drew his card. "I'll start by activating a second Ground Collapse card, destroying two more of your monster zones." The card appeared, and the ground beneath Serenity's monsters vanished, leaving only a single patch of ground on her side of the field. As the ground vanished, the Command Angel joined the already airborne Joan. "Next I'll play my Mausoleum of the Emperor, and then I'll give up 500 life-points to summon my Gravi-Crush Dragon." The massive, stone structure appeared behind him, and a fire began burning in the cylinder as his life-points dropped to 1750. The muscular dragon appeared as the fire dissipated, and the attack meter flashed 2400. "Now I'll activate my dragon's special ability, sacrificing both my Dark Door and my Mausoleum to destroy both of your monsters." The green barrier and the stone structure vanished, and the dragon raised its arms above its head. With its hands together, it slammed its arms against the ground, sending a huge shockwave at Serenity's monsters, vaporizing them both on contact. "Since you no longer have any monsters on the field, both of your trap cards are useless, so now I'll place one card face-down, and then I'll have my dragon attack your life-points directly." The dragon rushed across the field, slamming its fist into Serenity. Though she attempted to brace herself for the attack, the force of the blow was too much for Serenity, and she flew backward with the attack. She landed on her back a few feet from where she was standing, and her life-points dropped to 4350.

"Serenity!" yelled Joey. He started to run toward his sister, but Amara held up her hand to block his path.

"Don't worry," she said. She looked at Joey and smiled. "She's stronger than this."

"I apologize for being so rough," said Horus, "but my master will not accept failure. However, I am an honorable warrior, so I am willing to offer you a choice in honor of your skill. Give up now, and I will take my leave and spare your soul from the shadows. Continue this duel, and I will show no mercy." Still lying on the ground, Serenity started laughing, and a look of surprise replaced the expression of confidence on Horus' face. "What's so funny?"

"Why would I give up?" asked Serenity, getting up from the ground. "It's been a long time since I've faced such a skilled opponent. Besides, you still have two of my friends' souls, and I can't just let you take them."

Horus smiled. "You truly are a worthy opponent. Very well. From now on, I won't hold anything back."

"You'd better not," said Serenity. She finished getting to her feet and locked eyes with Horus. "This duel is just getting started.


	29. Serenity Kaiba Pt 2

**Chapter 29**

"It's my turn now," said Serenity, drawing. "First I'll place one card face-down, and then I'll summon my last Shining Angel in defense mode." The monster appeared, and the defense meter flashed 800. "That's all for now."

Horus drew his card, and smiled. "Now I activate my third and final Ground Collapse, eliminating your last monster zone." The card appeared, and the last patch of ground on Serenity's field vanished. "Now you can only summon flying monsters."

Serenity smiled. "Then it's a good thing that nearly every monster in my deck can fly."

"I'm well aware of that," said Horus. "However, I now have three cards that I can sacrifice to use my dragon's special ability. So now I'll sacrifice one of my Ground Collapse cards to destroy your angel." A small patch of ground reappeared on Serenity's field as the magic card disappeared, and the dragon slammed its fists against the ground, sending a shockwave at the angel.

"Not so fast, Horus," said Serenity, raising her face-down card. "I activate my Divine Wrath trap card. By discarding one card from my hand, I can negate one of your monsters' effects and destroy the monster that used it, so say goodbye to your dragon." A bolt of lightning shot down from the sky, striking the ground in front of the angel. It then moved across the ground, slicing through the shockwave and vaporizing the dragon.

"Not bad," said Horus, "but I'm not out of monsters just yet. Now I summon my Troop Dragon in defense mode." The small, green dragon appeared, and the defense meter flashed 800. "That ends my turn."

Serenity drew her card. "Now I'll switch my Shining Angel to attack mode…" The monster switched its position, and the attack meter flashed 1400. "…and then I'll have it attack your Troop Dragon." The angel flew across the field, tackling the small dragon and destroying it.

"You may have destroyed one Troop Dragon," said Horus as Serenity's monster returned to her, "but thanks to its special ability, I can summon another from my deck." A second Troop Dragon appeared on his side of the field, and the defense meter flashed 800. "My move." Horus drew his card. "Now I sacrifice my Troop Dragon to summon my Magna-Slash Dragon." The dragon appeared, and the attack meter flashed 2400. Next I'll activate my new dragon's special ability, sacrificing both of my Ground Collapse cards to destroy your trap cards." The two magic cards vanished, followed shortly by the dragon. After a few seconds, Serenity's trap cards were sliced in half. The dragon reappeared on Horus field as the trap cards vanished from the field. "Unfortunately, now that all of my Ground Collapse cards are gone, the rest of your monster zones return." The ground on Serenity's side of the field reappeared. "Next my dragon will attack your monster." He turned to his monster. "Magna-Slash Dragon, destroy her Shining Angel." The dragon flew across the field, slashing the angel in half with its bladed wing.

Serenity shielded her face from the shockwaves as her life-points fell to 3350. "Now I activate my angel's special ability. As you know, when my Shining Angel is destroyed, I can summon a new monster from my deck, so now I summon Mars the Agent of Force." A male angel appeared on her side of the field. It wore white pants, and a large red cloth hung from its waist. It wore a silver bracelet on each wrist as well as a golden helm on its head, and a red sash concealed the tattoo on its chest. It held a fearsome axe in its hands, and a red aura surrounded its body. It unfolded its large, white wings as the attack meter flashed 0.

"What can you possibly do with a monster that has 0 attack points?" asked Horus.

"You'll soon find out," said Serenity, drawing. "First I activate the magic card Soul of the Pure, raising my life-points by 800." Her life-points rose to 4150. "Next I'll play another magic card." She opened the field magic slot on her duel disk and placed a card inside. The city surrounding them vanished, concealed by a blue sky. Standing on a floating island, they were now surrounded by ruins. "Behold the Sanctuary in the Sky."

"So guys," said Mokuba. "What do you think of the latest in Kaiba Corp's holographic technology?"

"It's incredible," said Tea, looking around.

"Yeah, it's pretty…" began Joey, looking over the edge of the island. A look of surprise crossed his face when he saw nothing but sky below them. "Nyeh, eh, eh, eh!" He looked back at the group and pointed down. "Okay, where'd the ground go!?"

"Relax, Joey," said Mokuba as the rest of the group joined Joey. "It's still there. What you're looking at is just a hologram."

"Looks pretty real to me," said Joey, using his foot to make sure the ground was still there.

"This is pretty impressive," said Horus, looking around.

"It's more than impressive," said Serenity as Horus returned his gaze to her. "Thanks to my Sanctuary, any damage I take from your monsters when they attack my fairies is reduced to 0. Also, now that my Sanctuary is in play, I can activate my monster's special ability, allowing me to take the difference between our life-points and add it to my monster's attack points. In other words, since I have 2400 more life-points than you, my monster's attack points increase by 2400." The attack meter rose to 2400. "Now to deal with your dragon." She turned to her monster. "Mars, attack his Magna-Slash Dragon." The angel rushed forward, raising its axe."

"Wait," said Horus. "If you do that, then both of our monsters will be destroyed."

"I know that," said Serenity, "but that dragon is far too dangerous to leave on the field." The angel reached the dragon and struck it with its axe. At the same time, the dragon counterattacked, slashing the angel with its bladed wings, and both monsters were destroyed. "Now I'll place a card face-down, and end my turn."

Horus drew his card, and smiled. "So far, you've been able to defeat every powerful monster I've summoned, but I wonder how long that will last. Now I activate a magic card known as Level Modulation. Here's how it works. First, you draw two cards from your deck."

"Thanks," said Serenity, drawing the cards.

"Don't thank me yet," said Horus. "You see, in exchange for allowing you to draw two cards, I can select an evolving monster in my graveyard and summon it to the field in the same level that it was destroyed."

A look of fear crossed Serenity's face. "But that means…"

"That's right," said Horus. "Come forth, Armed Dragon!" The massive dragon reappeared, and the attack meter flashed 3000. "My dragon has returned, and this time, there's nothing you can do to stop it."

--

Kaiba walked down the hall of Pegasus' mansion, opening door after door, searching for Pegasus' art gallery. Near the end of the hallway, he came across a large pair of double doors. _Alright, Pegasus, _he thought. _It had better be in here. _He opened the doors and came face to face with the art gallery. The room he now stood in was massive, with paintings lining every inch of the blue walls. The room itself consisted of three floors, with a single staircase leading from one floor to the next. The paintings on the walls spanned every era and every style, though most of them were portraits, most likely of ancestors. Kaiba wasted no time in admiring the gallery, however. Instead, he proceeded to examine the paintings, searching for the portrait of Cecilia that Pegasus had referred to in his note. It took him only a few minutes to finish searching the first and second floors, as there was not a single portrait of Cecilia on either. On the third floor, however, he found several, and he searched each one, finding only a normal painting and the empty wall behind it each time. _What's going on here? _he thought, taking the note from his pocket. He unfolded it and began to read further.

OH, COME NOW, KAIBA-BOY. I KNOW MY COLLECTION IS ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS, BUT DO TRY TO CONTAIN YOURSELF. Kaiba scowled. I'M AFRAID I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO TELL YOU. I GUESS YOU'RE JUST NOT AIMING HIGH ENOUGH.

"What is that supposed to mean?" asked Kaiba out loud. He looked around and spotted a window a few feet away. He walked to it a looked out, instantly spotting a large tower on the other side of the grounds. _Of course, _he thought. _That has to be it._ He returned his attention to the note.

AH, WONDERFUL. YOU FINALLY FIGURED IT OUT, KAIBA-BOY. NOW THEN, SHALL WE GO?

Kaiba folded the note a put it back in his pocket, then proceeded down the stairs and out of the gallery. _I'd better find this thing soon, _he thought. _This note is starting to get more annoying than the real thing._

--

"Unfortunately," said Horus, "Level Modulation prevents me from using my dragon's special ability or attacking with it until my next turn, so that's all for now."

Serenity drew her card, and smiled. _Perfect, _she thought. _My second Fall From Grace card. This could be just what I need to destroy that dragon. _She examined her hand. _The only problem is I don't have any angels in my hand._ She shifted her gaze to Horus. _I'll have to defend until I draw one._ "Alright, Horus. I summon my Goddess with the Third Eye in defense mode." A female monster appeared on her side of the field. This one wore green robes and had brown hair, and small, white wings extended down from the top of its head. The eye in the center of its forehead opened as the defense meter flashed 1000.

"I'm afraid that won't protect you, my dear," said Horus, drawing. "Now I'll discard one card from my hand so my dragon can destroy your monster." A ball of silver fire erupted from the dragon's mouth and vaporized Serenity's monster. "And now, with your monster gone, my dragon is free to attack your life-points directly." He turned to his monster. "Go, Armed Dragon. Attack with Armored Blade-Strike!" The dragon rushed forward, ready to slash Serenity with its claws.

"Not so fast, Horus," said Serenity, raising her face-down card. "I activate my Enchanted Javelin trap card. I may not be able to stop your dragon's attack, but thanks to this card, I can at least protect my life-points." A strange, green javelin appeared behind the dragon. It then flew forward, passing through the dragon and striking the ground at Serenity's feet before disappearing. As it vanished, Serenity's life-points rose to 7150.

"What happened?" asked Horus.

"When one of your monster's attacks, my Enchanted Javelin card increases my life-points by that monster's attack points before the attack hits."

Horus smiled. "You may have gained 3000 life-points, but as you said, you haven't stopped my monster's attack." He shifted his gaze to his monster. "Strike now, Armed Dragon!" The dragon brought its claws down, slashing Serenity and bringing her life-points back down to 4150. "That's all for now," he said as his monster returned to him.

Serenity drew her card, and frowned. "I'll place one card face-down and end my turn."

Horus drew his card. "Armed Dragon, attack her life-points directly." The dragon ran forward again, bringing its claws down on Serenity. She screamed in pain as her life-points fell to 1150.

"No, Serenity!" screamed Joey.

"This doesn't look good," said Rex.

"I take no pleasure in this," said Horus. "I'll give you one last chance. Will you surrender?"

"Never," said Serenity, reaching for her deck. _Okay, _she thought, _this is it. If I don't draw something good now, I'm going to lose this duel. I need to trust my deck. _"Here goes," she said, drawing. She examined the card. _Perfect. _"I activate the magic card Monster Reincarnation. By discarding one card from my hand, I can take a monster from my graveyard and add it to my hand, and I choose my Guardian Angel Joan." She placed a card in her graveyard, then took another and added it to her hand. "And since I now have an angel in my hand, I can activate my Fall From Grace magic card. Now I'll discard my Guardian Angel Joan to summon a Fallen One from my deck, and not just any Fallen One, but the strongest one in all of Duel Monsters." A card near the center of Serenity's deck began to glow, and she took the card from her deck and held it above her head. "You've met my favorite monster, now meet my strongest." She threw the card on her duel disk. As she did, a new monster appeared on her side of the field. Yet another female angel, this one had four black wings of unspeakable beauty. It had long, shining black hair, and a majestic, violet-black armor adorned with red jewels covered its torso. It was surrounded by a black aura, which made its arms, legs, and face appear to be obscured in shadow. Its red eyes glowed as the attack meter flashed 2900. "Lucille the Fallen One!"

Horus' eyes widened. Even in ancient Egypt, he had never seen a creature so fearsome. He was a God, yet when he locked eyes with Serenity's monster, even he trembled. "Incredible," he said. "What is that thing?"

Serenity smiled. "This is the most powerful card in my deck, and it's just what I need to destroy your dragon."

"What do you mean?" asked Horus. "It's not strong enough to defeat my dragon."

"We'll see about that." Serenity turned to her monster. "Lucille, attack and destroy his dragon." A red aura surrounded her monster, and the attack meter rose to 3900.

"What's going on?" asked Horus, surprised.

"My monster has a special ability. Whenever it attacks one of your monsters, it gains 200 attack points for each angel in my graveyard, and since I have five, my monster gains 1000 attack points." She turned back to her monster. "Now go, Lucille. Attack with Celestial Destruction!" Serenity's monster slowly raised its right arm and opened its hand, its palm facing the Armed Dragon. A few seconds later, the angel's red eyes flashed brightly, and the dragon erupted in blue flames. It roared in pain before being completely consumed by the fire, and Horus' life-points fell to 850. "Now my monster's second ability activates. Whenever it destroys a monster, I gain life-points equal to half that monster's attack points." As she said this, her life-points rose to 2650. "Also, any time Lucille deals damage to your life-points, you have to discard one card from your hand." Horus frowned, then took a card from his hand and placed it in his graveyard. As he did, Serenity's monster lowered its arm, and the attack meter fell back to 2900.

Horus smiled. "I guess that power boost doesn't last very long."

"I'm afraid not," said Serenity. "It only lasts until the attack is over."

"That's good to know," said Horus, drawing. He examined the card he drew, and smiled. "I'll summon a monster in defense mode and end my turn."

Serenity drew her card. "Time to end this duel. You see, Lucille has another ability. If she destroys a monster that's in defense mode, the difference between her attack points and that monster's defense points is subtracted from your life-points, so unless your monster has more than 3000 defense points, you've lost this duel." She turned to her monster. "Lucille, attack with Celestial Destruction!" The red aura surrounded her monster, and it raised its arm as the attack meter rose to 3900. Lucille's eyes flashed, and the face-down monster was enveloped in blue fire. After a few seconds, the monster appeared in the fire. It was a small, blue dragon well a yellow underside. It had hooked claws, and it carried a small, orange, spiked ball in its hands. It screeched once before disappearing in the flames. Shockwaves blew past Horus, but his life-points remained at 850. A look of surprise crossed Serenity's face. "Why didn't you lose any life-points?"

"Because the monster you destroyed was my Exploder Dragon, and thanks to its special ability, I don't take any damage when it's destroyed. It also has another ability. Observe!" He pointed across the field. Serenity shifted her gaze to where Horus was pointing, and her eyes widened when she saw the orange ball at Lucille's feet. Before she could react, the ball exploded, obscuring her field in smoke. "Any monster that destroys my Exploder Dragon is immediately destroyed as well," he said, smiling. After a few seconds, the smoke began to clear, and the smile faded from Horus' face when he saw that Serenity's monster was still on the field. "What happened?" asked Horus, surprised. "Why wasn't your monster destroyed?"

Serenity smiled. "Because Lucille the Fallen One cannot be destroyed or removed from the field by a card effect. The only way to destroy it is to overpower it in battle."

"What!?" shouted Horus.

"That monster is incredible," said Mako. "I've never seen anything like it."

"Yeah," said Tea. "It's really given Serenity the upper-hand."

"I'm afraid not," said Mokuba.

"What do you mean, Mokuba?" asked Joey.

"The fact that Serenity has summoned that monster means that she's running out of options."

"That's right," said Amara, interrupting. "As powerful as Lucille is, it has a serious downside. As long as Lucille is on the field, she can't summon any other monsters, and she can only play one card from her hand per turn."

"That doesn't sound so bad with a monster that powerful," said Rex. "It can't even be destroyed."

"I'm not so sure that's a good thing," said Yugi's grandfather. "I've heard of that monster. Not only can it not be destroyed or removed from the field by a card effect, it also can't be sacrificed."

"Why is that bad?" asked Tea.

"Because, Tea, if that monster is still on the field at the end of Serenity's sixth turn after it's been summoned, then Serenity will lose the duel."

"What!?" asked Joey.

"Are you serious?" asked Tea.

"Unfortunately, yes," answered Mokuba. "Let's hope it doesn't come to that."

"I may not have been able to finish you off," said Serenity, "but thanks to Lucille, I still gain 500 life-points." Her life-points rose to 3150. "That's all for now. Make your move, Horus."

"With pleasure," said Horus. "It's time to take this duel to the next level." He closed his eyes and placed a hand on his deck. After a few seconds, his eyes shot open, and he pulled the top card off his deck and held it to the side. Without even looking at the card, he threw it on his disk. "I summon Horus the Black Flame Dragon!" His monster appeared, and the attack meter flashed 1600.

"Oh, no," said Yugi. "He drew his Egyptian God card!"

"And now I'll use my face-down Level Up to raise my monster to its highest level." He raised the card, and the small dragon was surrounded by black flames, transforming into a massive creature. The mighty dragon screeched as the flames dissipated, and the attack meter flashed 3000. "Behold my Egyptian God card!"

_No, _thought Serenity. _I can't believe he summoned it._

"You should have taken my offer and surrendered when you had the chance," said Horus. "Now you will learn first-hand why I am called the Black Flame of Egypt!"


	30. Serenity Kaiba Pt 3

**Chapter 30**

Kaiba walked up the steps of the tower in Pegasus' mansion, hoping to finally find what he had been searching for. He found a wooden door at the top of the stairs, just big enough for him to enter without lowering his head. He reached for the handle and opened the door, stepping into a small, unimpressive room at the top of the tower. Against the far wall sat a cluttered desk with a small, wooden chair. There was a window on the wall to the right, and beneath it sat a small couch. A painting of Cecilia hung on the wall opposite the window, and Kaiba walked over to examine it, finding a small safe embedded in the wall behind the painting. The safe had a numerical keypad on the door, and each of the nine keys also had three letters, except for the nine, which had two, forming the entire English alphabet. _Alright, Pegasus, _thought Kaiba, taking the note out of his pocket. _You'd better have the password written down._ He began to read the note further.

I'M SORRY, KAIBA-BOY, BUT YOU'LL HAVE TO FIGURE THE PASSWORD OUT ON YOUR OWN. AFTER ALL, I CAN'T JUST GIVE IT AWAY. WHAT IF ONE OF ZORC'S FOLLOWERS GOT A HOLD OF THIS NOTE? Kaiba frowned, knowing that Pegasus was right. DON'T WORRY. I'M SURE THAT YOU'LL BE ABLE TO FIGURE IT OUT, KAIBA-BOY. I'LL EVEN GIVE YOU A LITTLE HINT. THE PASSWORD IS AN EIGHT LETTER WORD OR PHRASE. I DO HOPE THAT HELPS.

_Yeah, that helps. _Kaiba folded the note and put it back in his pocket, then turned his attention to the keypad on the safe. _As soon as you get your soul back, Pegasus, there are a few things we're going to talk about._

--

"Now I activate my dragon's special ability," said Horus, turning to his monster. "Horus, destroy her sanctuary." The dragon's red eyes glowed black, and the ruins surrounding the group were enveloped in black flames. After a few seconds, the island vanished completely, followed by the blue sky surrounding it. With the sanctuary gone, the buildings reappeared, and the group was once again standing in front of the hospital. "Next I'll place a card face-down, and then I'll have my dragon destroy your angel." He raised his right arm and gestured toward Serenity's monster. "Go, Horus. Attack her monster with Black Flame Fireblast!" The dragon opened its mouth and released a stream of black fire, sending it straight toward Lucille. The attack struck, and the angel screamed in agony as the flames consumed it. After a few seconds, the flames dissipated, and Serenity's life-points dropped to 3050. "Now that your most powerful monster is gone, I'm afraid it will take a miracle for you to win."

Serenity smiled. "Then I'll just have to create a miracle. Activate trap card." She raised her face-down card. "Ray of Hope. This card allows me to take two light monsters from my graveyard and return them to my deck, and I choose my Command Angel and one of my Shining Angels." She took the cards from her graveyard and shuffled them into her deck. "Now it's my turn," she said, drawing. "I summon Nurse Reficule the Fallen One in defense mode." A new female angel appeared on her side of the field. This one had spiky, purple hair, and its entire body was wrapped in white bandages. It had two webbed wings, both of which were bladed along the rim, and it wore a purple belt around its waist. The defense meter flashed 600. "Thanks to this card, any time you try to gain life-points, you'll lose life-points instead."

"Not a problem," said Horus, drawing. "I don't rely on cards that increase my life-points. Besides, your monster won't be around for very long." He turned to his dragon. "Horus, destroy her monster." The dragon once again released black flames from its mouth, vaporizing Serenity's monster.

"My turn," said Serenity, drawing. She examined the card she drew, and smiled. _Excellent, _she thought. _This could be just the card I need to defeat his Egyptian God card, but first I need to get it on the field, and I can't do that without a sacrifice._ She shifted her gaze to her opponent. _My only choice is to defend. _"I summon my Hysteric Fairy in defense mode." Another angel appeared on her side of the field. This one was male, and it wore purple robes as well as glasses. It had black, shoulder-length hair, and it held a book in its hands. The defense meter flashed 500. "That's all for now."

Horus drew his card. "Horus, attack!" The dragon obeyed its master's command, destroying Serenity's monster with black fire.

"This doesn't look good," said Amara. "I've never seen my mother having this much trouble in a duel."

"Isn't there any way she can beat that thing?" asked Tea.

"She does have one monster left that should be strong enough," answered Mokuba, "but unless she can keep Horus from destroying her monsters, she's got no way to summon it."

"My move," said Serenity, drawing. "I'll place a monster in defense mode and end my turn."

Horus drew his card. "I'll place one more card face-down, and then I'll attack your monster." Another stream of black fire erupted from the dragon's mouth, engulfing Serenity's monster. Just before it was destroyed, the monster appeared inside the flames. It had no body, and its wings and hands appeared to be floating in the air. It wore a red crown, and it held a bow in one of its hands. The monster vanished as soon as it appeared, consumed by the flames.

"The monster you just destroyed was my Skelengel," said Serenity. "That means I get to draw one card from my deck." She drew the card.

Horus sighed. "Haven't you figured it out yet? It doesn't matter how many cards you draw. I've already destroyed your strongest monsters, and you're running out of cards in your deck. No matter what you do, it's impossible for you to win this duel."

--

Kaiba stood in the tower of Pegasus' mansion, typing password after password into the safe door, receiving an error message every time. He tried his latest theory, only to receive yet another error message. _That didn't work, _he thought, groaning. _How about "Illusion"? _He typed it in, and the word "error" appeared on the screen again. _Maybe "cartoons". _Another failure. _"Card game"?_ He tried again, and his anger grew when the error message appeared again._ What is it!? _He took the note out of his pocket and continued reading it.

IS THAT REALLY THE BEST YOU CAN DO, KAIBA-BOY? I COULD HAVE FIGURED IT OUT BY NOW, BUT THEN AGAIN, I'M THE ONE WHO CAME UP WITH THE PASSWORD, AREN'T I?

Kaiba frowned. _This is getting very annoying, _he thought, shifting his gaze to the safe. _I've been trying to figure this password out for half an hour. Whatever's in there had better be worth my time._ He returned his attention to the note.

OH, DON'T WORRY. NEXT TO EXODIA, THE CARD IN THAT SAFE HAS NO EQUAL. NOW COME ON. IF YOU JUST PUT YOUR MIND TO IT, I'M SURE YOU CAN FIGURE OUT THE PASSWORD, KAIBA-BOY.

A look of realization crossed Kaiba's face, followed quickly by a look of extraordinary anger. _This had better not be the password, _he thought, turning his attention back to the safe. He thought the letters as he typed them in. _K-A-I-B-A-B-O-Y. _Once he typed in the last letter, he heard something click inside the safe, and the word "unlocked" appeared on the screen. _You'll pay for that, Pegasus, _he thought, opening the door to find a small, plastic case inside. Kaiba removed the case from the safe and opened it, and his eyes widened when he saw the card inside. He took the card out and tossed the case on the floor, then smiled as he held the card up to his face. _So this is what you had up your sleeve, Pegasus. This card will be just perfect for my deck._ He returned to the note and continued reading.

DON'T GET TO FAR AHEAD OF YOURSELF, KAIBA-BOY. YOU WON'T LIKE WHAT YOU'RE ABOUT TO READ, BUT THIS CARD ISN'T FOR YOU. IT'S FOR YUGI.

_Yugi!?_

YES, YUGI. I KNOW THAT EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS CARD SAYS THAT IT'S MEANT FOR YOU. IN FACT, THIS MONSTER BELONGED TO YOUR ANCESTOR IN ANCIENT EGYPT. I JUST HAVE THIS FEELING THAT YOU WON'T BE AROUND LONG ENOUGH TO USE IT AGAINST ZORC. SORRY, BUT THAT'S JUST THE WAY IT IS, KAIBA-BOY.

Kaiba crumpled the note in his hand and threw it on the ground. _We'll see about that, Pegasus, _he thought, turning to leave. _Not only do I plan on being around long enough, but I'm going to defeat Zorc myself. _He held the up card and examined it. _This card belongs to me, and I'm going to prove it._

--

"No matter what you say," said Serenity, drawing, "I'm not giving up."

"Then I have no choice but to take your soul back to Zorc," said Horus.

"You'll have to defeat me first." She examined her hand. "Now I'll place one card face-down, and thenm I'll summon my Command Angel in defense mode." The monster appeared, and the defense meter flashed 1900. "That ends my turn."

Horus drew his card, and smiled. "Now I summon Horus' Servant in defense mode." A humanoid monster appeared on his side of the field. It wore the robes of an ancient Egyptian priest, as well as a green cape and a golden helm shped like the head of the Black Flame Dragon. The defense meter flashed 100, and a purple aura surrounded it and the Egyptian God card. Horus lowered his disk before he spoke again. "Back in ancient Egypt, this sorcerer was my friend, and he used his magic to protect me in battle. I may be one of Egypt's greatest warriors, but there were plenty of battles that I wouldn't have survived without his help." He raised his disk. "Even now he continues to protect me. As a card, he has the ability to protect my Egyptian God card from any trap card or monster effect that you use against it, so now, just like your strongest monster, the only way to destroy my Egyptian God card is to overpower it, but I doubt there's a single card left in your deck that can do that."

"You'll have to wait and see," said Serenity.

"Did you know about that card, Marik?" asked Joey.

"I should have," said Marik. "I knew all about Horus' past in ancient Egypt, but it never occurred to me that he would have that support card. If I had realized he had that card, I could have warned Serenity. Now there's no way to destroy the Egyptian God card."

"Don't count her out just yet," said Amara. "After all, this duel's not over."

"Now my dragon will destroy your monster." He turned to his God card. "Horus, attack with Black Flame Fireblast!" The dragon attacked again, destroying yet another of Serenity's monsters.

Serenity drew her card. "It's a good strategy," she said, "but it has one major flaw. It's true that your dragon is nearly invincible, but your servant is not. Now I'll remove the two Shining Angels in my graveyard from the game in order to summon my Soul of Purity and Light." A transparent, female angel with long, blond hair appeared on her side of the field, and the attack meter flashed 2000. "As long as this monster is on my side of the field, all of your monsters lose 300 attack and defense points." The defense meter for the Horus' Servant dropped to 0. "Now my monster will attack your servant." The angel flew forward, preparing to strike.

"Do you really think I would leave my best friend undefended?" asked Horus. "He protects me, and in turn, I protect him. Reveal face-down card." He raised one of his face-down cards. "It's a trap card known as Frontline Tribe. Now, by discarding my entire hand, I can choose a monster type, and as long as even one monster of that type remains on my side of the field, you can't use any card effects on or attack any monster that is not of that type…" He discarded the three cards in his hand. "…and the type I choose is dragon." As he said this, his Egyptian God card stepped in front of the servant, shielding it.

"Soul of Purity and Light," said Serenity, "stop your attack." The angel obeyed, returning to Serenity's side of the field.

"What was that you said about my strategy having a flaw?" asked Horus, drawing. "Now I summon my second Masked Dragon to the field." The dragon appeared, and the attack meter flashed 1400, quickly falling to 1100. "Next I'll deal with your monster." He turned to his God card. "Horus, destroy her angel with Black Flame Fireblast!" The dragon attacked again, vaporizing Serenity's monster with its black fire. Serenity's life-points dropped to 2050, and the attack meter for the Masked Dragon returned to 1400. At the same time, the defense meter for Horus' Servant rose back to 100. "Now that your monster is out of my way, my Masked Dragon will attack your life-points directly." The dragon rushed forward, ready to strike its opponent.

"Sorry, Horus," said Serenity, "but you're not taking any more of my life-points." She raised her face-down card. "I activate my second Enchanted Javelin card. As I'm sure you remember, this card raises my life-points by your monster's attack points before your attack hits." The javelin appeared in the air behind the Masked Dragon. "Your Egyptian God card may be protected from my trap cards, but your Masked Dragon is not." The javelin flew through the small dragon and landed at Serenity's feet, raising her life-points to 3450. The dragon's attack then struck, returning her life-points to 2050.

"You can't last much longer," said Horus as his monster returned to him. "Make your move."

Serenity drew her card. "I summon my Shining Angel in defense mode and end my turn." The monster appeared, and the defense meter flashed 800.

Horus drew his card. "Now I'll have my Masked Dragon attack your monster." The small dragon ran forward, slamming its tail into the angel and destroying it.

"Since you destroyed my angel, its special ability activates, allowing me to summon a new monster from my deck."

"I'm surprised you have any monsters left," said Horus.

"More than you think. I summon Mercury the Agent of Wisdom in defense mode." A new female angel appeared on her side of the field. This one had green skin and blue wings, and it wore a silver bracelet on each wrist. It wore blue robes and held a book in its hand, and a blue, cloth headdress covered its hair. A yellow aura surrounded it as the defense meter flashed 1700. "As long as this card remains on the field, I get to draw two cards at the beginning of my turn instead of one."

"Too bad it won't be around that long," said Horus, turning to his monster. "Horus, destroy her monster." The dragon attacked, vaporizing the angel. "That ends my turn."

Serenity drew her card, and smiled. _Perfect,_ she thought. "Alright, Horus. Now I summon Venus the Agent of Creation in defense mode." Another female angel appeared on her side of the field. This one had long, blond hair and golden wings, and it wore a beautiful green dress. The defense meter flashed 0. "Next I'll activate its special ability. For every 500 life-points I give up, I can summon one Mystical Shine Ball from my hand or deck." She took two cards from her hand and one from her deck. "So now I'll give up 1500 life-points to summon all three of my Mystical Shine Balls." Her life-points fell to 550, and three glowing spheres appeared on her side of the field. One glowed red, another glowed blue, and the third glowed purple, and the defense meter flashed 500 for each of them.

"Four monsters in one turn," said Horus. "That's pretty impressive. I'll just have to destroy them all in one turn." He drew his card, and frowned. "I was hoping for a monster." He shifted his gaze to Serenity. "It doesn't matter. I can still destroy three of them. Now I'll switch my Servant to attack mode and have it attack your angel." The monster switched positions, and the attack meter flashed 100. It then ran forward, slamming its fist into the angel and destroying it. "Next I'll have my dragons destroy two of your shine balls." The two dragons attacked, destroying two more of Serenity's monsters. "Now you only have one monster left."

"One is all I need," said Serenity, drawing. "It's time to end this duel."

"What are you talking about?" asked Horus. "Your magic cards are useless, and trap and monster effects won't work on my Egyptian God card. Even if you plan to use your last shine ball to summon a stronger monster, only a dragon could possibly be strong enough to take down my monster."

Serenity smiled. "And what makes you think I don't have a dragon? After all, I am a Kaiba. Now I sacrifice my Mystical Shine Ball to summon my White-Horned Dragon!" A large, red dragon appeared on her side of the field. It had yellow eyes, and its hands and feet each ended in three white claws. Its rigid body appeared sharp, and it had a metallic shine to it. Light glimmered off the large, white horn on its forehead as the attack meter flashed 2200.

Horus smiled. "So you did have one powerful monster left. However, it's not strong enough to defeat my dragon."

"Not yet, but that's what magic cards are for."

Horus shook his head. "You forget. Thanks to my Egyptian God card, magic cards are completely useless."

"Not completely," said Serenity. "You see, my dragon has a special ability. When it's summoned, my dragon absorbs every magic card in your graveyard and gains 300 attack points for each one." As she said this, Horus' graveyard began to glow green, and the White-Horned Dragon's attack power rose to 5800. "It looks like you discarded a few magic cards as well," said Serenity. "Now to take down your dragon." She turned to her monster. "White-Horned Dragon, destroy his Egyptian God card and end this duel. Attack with Shining Lightning!" Serenity's dragon roared, and a bolt of lightning shot down from the sky, striking the dragon's horn. The bolt then left the horn, heading straight for the Egyptian God card.

"Alright!" said Amara. "She won."

"Way to go, sis," said Joey.

"You're going back to the Shadow Realm," said Serenity.

"I'm not going anywhere," said Horus, smiling. "Did you forget about my face-down card?"

"What!?" said Serenity.

"Oh, no!" said Yugi.

"You may have won the duel, but you haven't defeated me." He raised his face-down card. "I activate the magic card Level Down, reducing my Egyptian God card to its lowest level." Black fire surrounded the dragon, transforming it into its smallest form, and the attack meter flashed 1600. "In order to send my soul back to the Shadow Realm, you have to destroy my monster while it's in its true form, so even though I've lost the duel, my Level Down magic card will protect me from the shadows." The lightning bolt struck the now small dragon, destroying it and reducing Horus' life-points to 0.

"I've still won the duel," said Serenity as the holograms faded. "Now return my friends' souls."

"Of course," said Horus, bowing to show respect to the one that defeated him. He reached for his amulet, and it began to glow. As it did, shadow energy surrounded the amulet, and a look of surprise crossed Horus' face. "Something's wrong," he said. "I can't release their souls."

"What are you talking about?" asked Serenity. "Give them back."

"I'm trying, but something won't let me." He took his hand off the amulet, and the shadow energy surrounding it disappeared. "It's not my amulet." He said, shifting his gaze to Serenity. "Something else is preventing me from releasing their souls."

"What could be doing that?"

"Only Zorc has anywhere near that kind of power," answered Horus, turning to leave. "I need to go figure this out."

"Wait!" said Serenity.

"Do not worry," said Horus, without facing Serenity. "You won the duel, so you earned their souls back. As soon as I discover how Zorc is controlling my amulet, I'll return to give you their souls." With that, Horus vanished.

The rest of the group ran up to Serenity. "That was incredible, sis," said Joey.

"Yeah," said Tea. "You're so much better at dueling than the last time we saw you, although that was one scary monster you played."

"You mean Lucille?" said Serenity, smiling. "Yeah, it took me a while to get used to her too, but I've actually come to like her."

"She may be scary," said Amara, "but she's strong."

"Unfortunately," said Mokuba, "she's not strong enough."

"You're right," said Serenity, the smile fading from her face. "I had my strongest monster on the field, and I still almost lost."

"And even though you did manage to beat Horus," said Marik, "there are still three Egyptian Gods that are stronger than him, not to mention Zorc."

"Let's just hope Seto gets back soon," said Mokuba. "He went to Pegasus for help, and we're going to need all the help we can get."


	31. Loyalties

**Chapter 31**

"This is Seto Kaiba," said Kaiba into the radio of his Blue-Eyes White Jet. "I'm approaching the launch tower. Clear the landing area immediately."

"We read you, Mr. Kaiba," said Roland, his voice coming through Kaiba's radio. "We've been awaiting your return. The landing area is already cleared for you."

"Good." He turned off the radio and slowed his jet, maneuvering it toward the landing area. He set the jet down on the landing pad and opened the cockpit, then jumped out, dropping to one knee as he landed to break his fall. He then stood and walked over to the door of the building, where Roland was standing in wait.

"Welcome back, sir," said Roland as Kaiba approached. He opened the door for Kaiba and followed him inside the building.

"Are the simulators on standby as I instructed?"

"Yes, sir. Everything is ready for you."

"Excellent." He took the card that he got from Pegasus off the top of his deck and held it up to his face as he walked. _Now we'll see what this card is capable of, _he thought. _Once I uncover its secrets, no one will be able to defeat me._

--

"I do not understand, my lord," said Horus, kneeling before Zorc in his massive throne room. "I lost the duel. Why could I not return the souls I had stolen?"

"Your sense of honor amuses me, Horus," said Zorc, smiling. "You couldn't return the souls because I didn't allow it."

"But it was you who set the rules of the shadows in place," said Horus, rising to his feet. "That was mllennia ago, when you were still whole. How did even break them in your weakened state?"

"How do you think?" asked Zorc, pulling back his sleeve and revealing the Manacle of Obedience. "I also created the Shadow Items with my full power, and the Manacle of Obedience can control more then just living things. I simply used it to control the Amulet of Dissonance…" His smile faded, and his eyes widened. "…just as I will now!" He raised his arm, and the manacle began to glow. At the same time, Horus' amulet began to glow, and a stream of shadow energy extended from the eye of the amulet and connected to the eye of the manacle, then vanished few seconds later.

"What was that?" asked Horus, placing a hand on his amulet.

"Every soul that was within your amulet is now mine," answered Zorc, lowering his arm. "Now, leave me."

"But, my lord…" began Horus.

"Do not make me repeat myself," interrupted Zorc, angrily.

Horus bowed quickly to avoid angering Zorc further. "Of course, my lord." With that, he turned and left the room. As he walked down the hallway, he began to feel strange, as though something inside him was struggling to break free. After a few seconds, his amulet began to glow red, and an intense pain coursed through his body, forcing to his knees. He placed one hand on the wall and the other on his chest, and he held back a scream as the agony grew. The pain grew further, and though he was able to hold back his screams, a groan escaped his lips. The glow of the amulet then changed from red to yellow and began to fade, and the pain faded with it. He got to his feet, but kept a hand on the wall for support. "I'm free," he said, breathing heavily. "I'm finally free."

"Are you okay, Horus?" asked Osiris, emerging from the shadows behind Horus.

Horus' eyes widened, and he turned around. "Osiris!"

"Did I scare you?" asked Osiris, smiling.

"No," said Horus, acting as if nothing happened, "and yes, I'm fine."

"That's good," said Osiris, smiling. "If something was wrong, it would be bad for all of us."

"I assure you, nothing is wrong. Now, if you'll excuse me." Horus bowed, then turned and walked down the hall, proceeding inside his chamber.

Osiris' smile grew wicked. Horus hadn't realized that Osiris had been watching him the whole time. "Finally."

--

"Simulation complete," said the main computer of Kaiba's duel simulator. "Monster summon failed."

"I'm sorry, Mr. Kaiba," said one of Kaiba's scientists, standing up from his computer and turning to face his employer. "We've tried every strategy we can think of, but we can't figure out how to summon the card you gave us."

"Keep trying," said Kaiba, leaning against the wall in the back of his simulation room. The room was large, and it contained six rows of computers, three on each side of a short path running down the center. There were four computers per row, and there was a scientist working at each one. At the end of the path was a large monitor with a control panel beneath it. The control panel was composed of several dials, buttons, and gauges, as well as a deck-insert slot that was currently occupied by Kaiba's deck.

"But, sir," said the scientist who had spoken before, "we're running out of ideas."

"Then come up with new ones. No one is leaving this lab until I know everything that monster is capable of, and I can't know that until it's summoned."

"Very well, sir," said the scientist, returning to his computer and entering another simulation.

_Why didn't you write it down, Pegasus? _thought Kaiba. _What good is this card if I can't even play it?_

"The data has been entered, Mr. Kaiba," said another scientist. "We're ready for the next simulation."

"Proceed."

"Commencing simulation," said the second scientist. He pushed a few more keys on his computer, and the simulated duel appeared on the screen of the main computer. Kaiba watched intently as the duel played out, waiting for his new card to be summoned. After a few seconds, the duel vanished from the screen, and Kaiba frowned, already knowing the outcome.

"Simulation complete," said the computer. "Monster summon failed."

"We've tried every method of summoning known to the game," said the first scientist. "The only explanation is a computer error."

"I programmed these computers myself," said Kaiba, walking over to the main computer. "There's nothing wrong with them. If the monster hasn't been summoned yet, it means that we haven't figured out how to do it yet."

"With all due respect, Mr. Kaiba, what's left to try?"

Kaiba didn't answer. Instead, he retrieved his deck from the computer and held the card up to examine it. _He may have a point, _thought Kaiba. _We've entered every known simulation into the computer, and we failed each time. Maybe it really is a computer glitch._ He examined the monster closely, and a look of realization crossed his face. _Or maybe this monster must be summoned in a way completely different from any other card._ He placed his deck back in the simulator and went to the nearest computer. "Move aside," he said, pushing the scientist who was sitting there out of his way. He quickly entered the data for a new simulation into the computer, then activated the simulator. The duel played out on the screen, and Kaiba smiled when he saw the outcome.

"Simulation complete," said the computer. "Monster summon successful."

"There," said Kaiba. "I told you it wasn't a glitch."

"My apologies, Mr. Kaiba," said the first scientist. "We'll begin deciphering the card's abilities immediately."

"No," said Kaiba, retrieving his deck.

"Sir?" asked the second scientist.

"There's no time. All I need to know is that this card is second only to Exodia. I'll learn what it does by playing it."

"But, sir, where are you going?" asked the first scientist.

"I'm going to rejoin my family."

--

Yugi and his friends sat on the steps of the hospital, waiting for Horus to return. While most of the group was skeptical, Yugi and Serenity believed that Horus would keep his word. While they waited, they were discussing what to do about the rest of the Egyptian Gods. "So what do we do now?" asked Mako. "How are we going to beat these guys?"

"I don't know, Mako," answered Serenity. "Horus almost beat me, and he's not the strongest Egyptian God. If one of the others attacks before Seto gets back, we might not be able to win."

"Aw, come on," said Joey. "How much stronger can they be?"

"Unfortunately," said Marik, "Osiris, Obelisk, and Ra are far stronger than the rest."

"Then why are we just sitting here?" asked Rex. "What if this is a trap? How do we even know that Horus is coming back?"

Yugi looked at Serenity, and found her looking back at him. She nodded to him, then Yugi returned his gaze to the rest of the group. "Don't worry, he'll be back. He may be our enemy, but I believe we can trust him."

"Thanks for having faith in me, Yugi."

The group turned to see Horus standing in front of the steps. "Horus," said Tea.

"Have you come to return our friends?" asked Yugi.

"I'm afraid not," said Horus. "When I confronted Zorc, he stole their souls from my amulet, and it turns out that he used the Manacle of Obedience to keep me from returning them in the first place."

"He used one Shadow Item to control another?" said Amara.

"How is that possible?" asked Serenity.

"I don't have the answer to that question. As their creator, only Zorc knows the true power of the Shadow Items."

"But if he's using the manacle," said Yugi, "then he must be using the lens and pyramid too."

"And I'm sure he's after my amulet as well." He turned to Serenity. "I don't think I was meant to survive our duel." He returned his gaze to the rest of the group. "Whatever Zorc's ultimate goal, it is clear that he intends to sacrifice the Egyptian Gods."

"That still doesn't explain one thing, Horus," said Mako. "If you aren't here to return the souls of our friends, then why are you here?"

Horus closed his eyes, then clenched his armored fist and raised it to his chest. "I am here to atone for the wrongs that I have done to you and the kingdom of Egypt. I am here…" He opened his eyes wide. "…to join you."

--

_This is ridiculous,_ thought Ra, sitting in his chamber. _How long does he intend to make me wait?_ He clenched his fists, then stood up and slammed his fists against his table. "I can't take this any more," he said out loud, walking to the door of his chamber. He opened the door to leave, but his path was blocked by his armored comrade. "Obelisk, get out of my way."

"That's not going to happen," said Obelisk in his usual deep voice. "I have strict orders from Zorc to keep you here."

"If he wants to keep me from leaving," said Ra, "then he'll have to stop me himself." He raised his disk. "After all, you don't stand a chance."

"Is that what you think?" asked Obelisk, raising his disk to meet Ra's. "If I have to, I have a way of keeping you from playing a single card against me."

"No such card exists."

"You misunderstand. You'll still be able to play cards. You just won't."

Ra lowered his disk. "Very well, I'll wait for Zorc's orders." He turned around. "There's something about you, Obelisk. If I could see your face, I'm sure I'd know what it was."

"Neither our pharaoh nor Zorc has ever seen my face. Why should I show it to you?" With that, Obelisk shut the door.

_Why, indeed, _thought Ra, returning to his chair. _All I need is a chance to destroy Yugi and his friends, and then it won't matter what your face looks like. Once I have their souls, I'll have the power to destroy you all!_

--

"You wanna say that again?" said Joey, surprised by Horus' statement.

"I wish to join you," said Horus.

"Why should we trust you?" asked Mako. "You turned your back on Egypt to follow Zorc, and now you're betraying Zorc to join us."

"He's right," said Amara. "Why should we expect any different?"

"Because it was never my choice to betray my pharaoh."

"What do you mean?" asked Yugi.

"It was the Shadow Items. They were created to control us. To control the Egyptian Gods."

"What?" asked Yugi.

"None of the Egyptian Gods would have voluntarily betrayed Egypt. As you've already seen, the Shadow Items corrupt their wielder, eventually bringing them completely under Zorc's control. However, they were able to take control of us instantly, because they were created by a combination of Zorc's power and our own."

"How did he get ahold of your power?" asked Tea.

"Because the final mission that they were given by their pharaoh," said Marik, "was to destroy Zorc."

"What we didn't know," continued Horus, "was that just being in Zorc's temple drained our energy and gave it to Zorc. We spent days searching that temple, which only added to Zorc's power. Once he had enough of our energy, he created the Shadow Items, one for each of us. All he had to do was lure us close to our individual Shadow Items, and he had us under his control."

"So then how did you break free of his control?" asked Yugi's grandfather.

"Though powerful, the Shadow Items have limitations. Unlike the rest of the Egyptian Gods, my power has always been evolving. Growing." He placed a hand on his amulet. "When the Amulet of Dissonance was created, I was only as strong as the Gods that you've defeated. Since then, I've grown much stronger, and the amulet was never meant to control a being of my current power. When Zorc ripped the souls from the amulet, it was weakened enough for me to break free. Now it will never control me again. I can't give your friends' souls back, but I can offer you my power." Kaiba walked around the corner of the hospital just in time to see his enemy drop to one knee and bow to Yugi. "I am yours to command, my Pharaoh."

When Kaiba saw this, something inside him snapped, and he clenched both fists. "That's it," he said, walking up to the group.

"Seto," said Serenity, preparing to run to him. However, she stopped when she saw the look on his face.

"I was once the greatest duelist in the world," said Kaiba. "I was undefeated, and people respected me. Now, everywhere I go, it's all about you, Yugi."

"Kaiba, what's wrong with you?" asked Yugi.

"You're what's wrong with me," he said raising his disk. "Let's settle this right now, once and for all."

"Kaiba, this isn't the time," said Yugi.

"It's the perfect time. I'm going to prove once and for all that I am the superior duelist."

Yugi lowered his head. "Very well. If this is the only way to get you to see reason, then you leave me no choice." He raised his head, followed by his disk, and the life-point meters flashed 4000. "Let's duel."


End file.
